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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Make cannabis legal to address failing drug enforcement and stop law being 'ass', study concludes Adam Button Police Professional Monday 21 Nov 2016 The Adam Smith Institute (ASI) says the UK’s drugs strategy has failed in its core aims and has led to cannabis laws being selectively enforced across the country. The think-tank pointed to the recent legalisation of the drug in California as a positive move, and recommended that similar steps be taken in the UK. It added that legalisation could raise as much as £1.05 billion per year and slash the £50 million annual cost of keeping people in prison for cannabis charges. Sam Bowman, executive director at the Adam Smith Institute, said: “As Canada becomes the first G7 country to legalise cannabis for recreational use and more and more US states do the same, Britain needs to re-evaluate its own drugs policies and make sure this growing market is in the hands of legitimate, regulated businesses – not criminal gangs. “We have a growing body of evidence from abroad that legalisation and smart regulation are much better ways of curbing the harms cannabis can cause to users and their communities, and that straightforward bans just push users into the hands of criminals. “Cannabis is enjoyed by many otherwise law-abiding people and making criminals of them makes an ass of the law – the only sensible approach now is to legalise and regulate.” Several countries have already introduced harm reduction policies around cannabis, including the Netherlands and Portugal. Germany may also soon fully legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes and Canada is working towards a system of full legalisation and regulation. The current UK strategy is based around reducing demand, restricting supply and building recovery in communities. However, in its report, released on Sunday (November 20), the ASI criticised this approach for lacking a solid foundation. The think-tank said that the number of UK users – at least two million – combined with well-established criminal routes have left law enforcement fighting an uphill battle in tackling the supply. Freedom of Information data published earlier this year showed that arrests for cannabis growth and possession dropped 46 per cent across England and Wales between 2010 and 2016. Cautions issued fell by 48 per cent and successful charges by a third, and National Police Chiefs’ Council chair Sara Thornton said policing of the drug has “never been a top priority”. The ASI agreed that current anti-cannabis legislation is only intermittently enforced. It cited the example of Durham Constabulary, which has already stopped pursuing and prosecuting cannabis users and small-scale growers. Cambridgeshire Constabulary has adopted a similar approach and only pursues charges in 14 per cent of incidents. However, other forces are still taking a firm line on users with Hampshire Constabulary giving charges or summons to 65 per cent of those caught with cannabis. And even the most lenient forces continue strict action against the organised crime gangs involved with cannabis supply. The ASI said this system has rendered national enforcement a postcode lottery where the law is selectively applied. The report also pointed to the continued concentration of anti-cannabis enforcement in more deprived areas, which the ASI claims damages the public’s perception of policing and draws young people into the criminal justice system. Between ten and 15 per cent of all indictable offences are for drug possession, with latest figures showing 1,363 offenders in prison for cannabis-related offences. Those 1,363 prisoners are thought to cost the taxpayer more than £50 million a year, and the ASI says they are likely to become recidivist offenders on release. The ASI report also backed findings from a Liberal Democrat study in March showing that a legal cannabis market could be worth £6.8 billion per year and provide £1 billion to the Treasury. The Lib Dems’ review suggested that cannabis should be sold in specialised licensed outlets with laws dictating price, strength and packaging. The panel of experts adjudicating the report – including Durham Constabulary Chief Constable Mike Barton and former Cambridgeshire Police Chief Constable Tom Lloyd – also called for home growing to be legal under certain conditions. Supporting the ASI’s report, Conservative MP Michael Fabricant said: “While recognising the harm that can be caused by enriched and artificial drugs based on cannabis, I do support the legalisation of natural cannabis and would welcome an independent inquiry into the effectiveness of drug policy in general. “There can be no doubt that just as prohibition – on the sale of alcohol – failed in the United States and encouraged gangsterism, the banning of drugs has promoted a wicked and lucrative black market which pushes illegal drugs on the innocent.” Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg added: “British politicians need to open their eyes to what is happening in the rest of the world. Cannabis prohibition is being swept away on a tide of popular opinion and replaced with responsible legal regulation. “Now is the time for ministers to start writing the rules for this legal market, including age limits and health warnings, so that we can finally take back control from the criminal gangs.” http://www.policeprofessional.com/news.aspx?id=27788
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