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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: British Commission: Decriminalize Pot
Celeb Stoner Wednesday 17 Oct 2012 "The law on the possession of small amounts of controlled drugs, for personal use only, could be changed so that it is no longer a criminal offense," the commission writes in its 172-page groundbreaking report. "Criminal sanctions could be replaced with simple civil penalties, such as a fine, perhaps a referral to a drug awareness session run by a public health body, or if there was a demonstrable need, to a drug treatment program. The evidence from other countries that have done this is that it would not necessarily lead to any significant increase in use, while providing opportunities to address some of the harms associated with existing drug laws. "Given its relatively low level of harm, its wide usage, and international developments, the obvious drug to focus on as a first step is cannabis, which is already subject to lesser sanctions than previously with the use of cannabis warnings. If evaluations indicated that there were no substantial negative consequences, similar incremental measures could be considered, with caution and careful further evaluation, for other drugs." The commission also recommends home growing as a way to counteract organized crime's control of drug markets. "For the most ubiquitous drug, cannabis, it is worth considering whether there are alternative approaches which might be more effective at reducing harm. For example, there is an argument that amending the law relating to the growing of it, at least for personal use, might go some way to undermining the commercialization of production, with the associated involvement of organized crime and the development of stronger strains of cannabis (‘skunk’), that we have seen in the UK and other countries in recent years. "Fragmenting production could undermine organized crime networks. Perhaps the most expedient course to take here would be to re-examine sentence levels and sentencing practice to ensure that those growing below a certain volume of plants face no - or only minimal - sanctions. The impact of any such move would need to be carefully measured and evaluated so policymakers could make informed decisions about future actions." http://www.celebstoner.com/201210179745/news/marijuana-news/british-commission-decriminalize-pot.html
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