Scotland wants to legislate on cannabis

The Scottish National Party (SNP) conference, held from October 13 to 15, revealed strong support for the decriminalization of cannabis for medical use.

Party delegates attending the conference called on the United Kingdom government to delegate the authority to regulate cannabis to the Scottish government.

Currently, the United Kingdom classifies cannabis as a Class B drug, and individuals arrested for possession face up to 5 years in prison. Dealers, on the other hand, face up to 14 years in prison.

In practice, penalties for possession are rarely enforced in the Kingdom.

The SNP delegates’ overwhelming vote comes a few weeks after former Conservative Justice Minister Crispin Blunt (you couldn’t make this up) reported that he had been asked to challenge drug policy while in office.

Mr. Blunt did indeed state during a side event at a Conservative Party conference that he had been rebuked for asking how much the drug prohibition policy cost, and that he was told it was «rude» to raise the issue.

At the SNP convention, a patient with multiple sclerosis spoke and called on the party to show «compassion and common sense» on this issue.

«I'm not advocating for smoking cannabis; what I'm advocating for is a compassionate, progressive, and reasonable society where you can access pain treatment,» she told the delegates.

«I've been living with multiple sclerosis for 9 years, and the fact that I'm standing here before you means that I'm one of the luckiest people.».

«It has become very clear to me over the past nine years that many people use cannabis to relieve the symptoms of this disease. In fact, it's one of the hospital's worst-kept secrets.».

He went on to say, «I don’t think someone who is suffering should be prosecuted for trying to ease that pain.».

The vote that came out of the convention does not mean that the Scottish government will adopt the medical legalization of cannabis, but it does provide a good indication of the strong support for this measure within the ruling party.