DECRIMINALISING CANNABIS

Summary

That this House recognises that the cannabis battle in the war against drugs is being lost; that cannabis is neither more damaging than tobacco, nor more addictive than alcohol, and that it is no more the portal to harder drugs than a half of bitter to rampant alcoholism; considers that the war against hard drugs can be more effectively fought if they are decoupled from cannabis which has therapeutic value so that juries are already rejecting prosecutions of MS sufferers for cannabis use or possession, though young lives and careers are still being damaged by prosecutions when the existing law looks less relevant to what is happening in society, because penalties against cannabis produce more harm than they prevent while the cost in police time, court and police effort and prison sentences, estimated at ú790 million, despite the fact that in 1998 of the 97,000 persons dealt with for drug offences related to cannabis, half were cautioned (compared to a third 10 years before); therefore agrees with the Police Foundation Inquiry that cannabis should become a Class C drug decoupled from hard drugs; further considers that it is now time to decriminalise possession and cultivation while retaining penalties for trafficking only against importation from outside the United Kingdom; suggests that licensing of cultivation and consumption in cafes should become a local government responsibility, opening up the possibility of local revenues from licences for local production or supply.

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Timeline

1. 6 December 2000

   Early Day Motion

   That this House recognises that the cannabis battle in the war against drugs is being lost; that cannabis is neither more damaging than tobacco, nor more addictive than alcohol, and that it is no more the portal to harder drugs than a half of bitter to rampant alcoholism; considers that the war against hard drugs can be more effectively fought if they are decoupled from cannabis which has therapeutic value so that juries are already rejecting prosecutions of MS sufferers for cannabis use or possession, though young lives and careers are still being damaged by prosecutions when the existing law looks less relevant to what is happening in society, because penalties against cannabis produce more harm than they prevent while the cost in police time, court and police effort and prison sentences, estimated at ú790 million, despite the fact that in 1998 of the 97,000 persons dealt with for drug offences related to cannabis, half were cautioned (compared to a third 10 years before); therefore agrees with the Police Foundation Inquiry that cannabis should become a Class C drug decoupled from hard drugs; further considers that it is now time to decriminalise possession and cultivation while retaining penalties for trafficking only against importation from outside the United Kingdom; suggests that licensing of cultivation and consumption in cafes should become a local government responsibility, opening up the possibility of local revenues from licences for local production or supply.

   Source: Early Day Motion

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Sponsors

• Paul Flynn · Labour · Primary sponsor

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