London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has backed the findings of an independent commission, which calls for changes in the way cannabis is regulated in the UK.
“The independent London drugs commission report makes a compelling, evidence-based case for the decriminalisation of possession of small quantities of natural cannabis,” Khan said in a statement on Wednesday 28 May.
“It also says that the current sentencing for those caught in possession of natural cannabis cannot be justified given its relative harm and people’s experience of the justice system. Better education, improved healthcare and more effective, equitable policing of cannabis use are long overdue,” he said.
The independent London Drugs Commission (LDC), established by Khan in 2022, is based on a detailed analysis of written and oral evidence from over 200 experts and academics from London, the UK and around the world.
The report reaches five overarching conclusions:
- Cannabis can be addictive, and more explicit provision of services focused on problematic use and addiction to the drug is needed, alongside greater join-up across health services.
- Possible gains from legalisation, including tax revenues and reductions in criminalisation, can be realised early. However, the extent of harms, particularly with respect to public health, as well as personal and societal costs, take longer to emerge and are not yet well understood.
- Inclusion of cannabis as a Class B drug in the Misuse of Drugs Act is disproportionate to the harms it can pose relative to other drugs controlled by the Act. The sentencing options currently available, especially for personal possession, cannot be justified when balanced against the longer-term impacts of experience of the justice system, including stop and search, or of serving a criminal sentence can have on a person.
- Cannabis policing continues to focus on particular ethnic communities, creating damaging, long-lasting consequences for individuals, wider society, and police-community relations.
- The content and timing of education about cannabis and its use, for both young people and healthcare professionals, is inadequate. It fails to acknowledge drivers of use and, in school settings, is often led by providers who lack sufficient credibility and insight.
The Mayor is not empowered to change drug laws: this responsibility rests with the central government.
However, the authors of the report have indicated that they plan to use it to inform and further the debate regarding those laws which govern production, supply and possession of non-medical cannabis in London and across the UK.
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