United Kingdom: Boris Johnson hires Blair Gibbs, advisor in favour of cannabis legalisation

In the United Kingdom, a longtime cannabis advocate has just joined Boris Johnson’s administration. Blair Gibbs is leaving the Center for Medicinal Cannabis, to become the prime minister's new political adviser. Gibbs was a member of Johnson's cabinet when Johnson was mayor of London.

Gibbs has publicly supported the legalization of cannabis in the United Kingdom since 2012. He had stated, while working for the conservative think tank, Policy Exchange that «prohibition should no longer be considered a smart and responsible policy.» He had also spoken out in favor of the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, which he described as «a bold policy and a sign of good governance.»

He acknowledges, however, that Canada's situation cannot be replicated. Gibbs wrote on Twitter : «When the United Kingdom decides to regulate the recreational cannabis market, it will need to draw inspiration from other models, but also design a system that best fits its own culture and institutions.».

This isn't the government's first move to support legalization, as Johnson had also hired Danny Kruger, who had called for the lifting of the ban on cannabis. Kruger wrote in The Spectator magazine in 2017 : «A bold step would be to commission a report analyzing the impact of drugs on young people’s well-being—including the effects of illegality and the potential of a regulated market.”.

That does not mean, however, that the British government intends to take a step toward legalization. In response to the hiring of a cannabis reform advocate for a senior government position, a government spokesperson stated that the individual’s comments were made before joining the administration «and do not reflect government policy.».

We should therefore not expect a change in course, even though a growing number of Britons believe that the United Kingdom should follow Canada's example, particularly to curb violence and to help limit young people’s access to this drug. Three British Members of Parliament who visited Canada However, researchers studying the effects of legalization believe that recreational cannabis could become legal within 10 years in the United Kingdom.