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UK: Lib Dems say they would legalise cannabis and even let clubs sell it Dan Bloom Nottingham Post Saturday 13 May 2017 It would be a bold move - but the Liberal Democrats say they would completely legalise cannabis and allow it onto the open market if they won the general election. The party would even let shops and social clubs sell the drug, raising up to £1billion in tax. They are thought to be the first major political party to campaign on a platform of legalising cannabis, something the Government has refused to do. The manifesto will pledge to "break the grip of criminal gangs" by introducing a "legal, regulated market" for the drug. It would include limits on potency and only allow the drug to be sold to people over 18. A Lib Dem source even suggested Britain could see cannabis "social clubs" spring up around the country, reports the Daily Mirror. The party estimates a cannabis tax could raise up to £1billion which would be spent on public health, education and prevention. This is based on research for the party which estimated it could generate between £400m and £900m. Lib Dem leader Tim Farron told the Mirror last year: "I tried cannabis when I was younger, as did many other politicians. "But sadly, too many other politicians want to continue forcing our police to waste resources chasing cannabis users when they should be able to take violent crime instead." The party's Cambridge candidate Julian Huppert, a former MP, said: "Cannabis is freely available and widely used. It generates significant health problems and vast profits for organised crime. "The current approach is a disaster for young people, whose mental and physical health is being harmed by an increasingly potent product. There are no age checks, and no controls on quality or strength. 'Skunk' is widespread and the only ID you need to buy it is a £20 note. "Liberal Democrats will take back control from the criminal gangs and protect young people by introducing a legal, regulated market for cannabis." Despite pleas by campaigners, cannabis remains a Class B drug and those caught with it can face five years' jail - more than for date rape drug GHB. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said last year he would legalise cannabis for medicinal, use but the policy did not feature in the party's draft 2017 manifesto. Nearly 250,000 people signed a petition to make the production, sale and use of cannabis legal but it was dismissed by the government last year. http://www.nottinghampost.com/lib-dems-say-they-would-legalise-cannabis-and-even-let-clubs-sell-it/story-30330648-detail/story.html
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