Britain should follow America’s lead and legalise cannabis, and we would rake in £1 billion a year in tax revenues, a cross-party group of MPs has said.
This month’s American election saw two further states legalise cannabis – and group of MPs from all parties, led by former deputy prime minster Nick Clegg and former health minister Norman Lamb says we should follow suit.
The MPs backed an Adam Smith Institute and Volteface study which argues that Britain’s ‘dark ages’ drugs policy has failed to stop people drugs being manufactured and used, and to stop associated crime, corruption and killing.
A legal cannabis market could be worth £6.8 billion to the economy annually, potentially netting between £750 million and £1.05 billion in tax revenues and reduced criminal justice costs.
The number of offenders in prison for cannabis-related offences in England and Wales would also likely drop from the current 1,363, who cost taxpayers £50 million a year, the report said.
Mr Clegg said: ‘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.
Conservative former cabinet minister Peter Lilley said: ‘It is time we legalised cannabis. Currently cannabis can only be obtained from illegal gangs who also push hard drugs. So we are driving soft drugs users into the arms of hard drugs pushers.’
Conservative MP Michael Fabricant said: ‘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.’
Labour MP Paul Flynn said: ‘The UK’s 45 years of harsh prohibition has multiplied use and harm. Should Cannabis be legalized??? .. COMMENT
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