United Kingdom: legalizing cannabis is the «only solution to crime and drug addiction».»

Cannabis should be legalized in the United Kingdom, according to a report backed by a group of cross-party lawmakers, including former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and reported by The Guardian.

The current cannabis policy in the United Kingdom is a «chaotic patchwork» of laws enforced either by regional police forces or, in some cases, not at all, according to the report by the liberal think tank Adam Smith Institute.

The government must recognize that legalizing cannabis, which is currently classified as a Class B drug under the British Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971 (Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971), is the «only possible solution to the problems of crime and drug abuse in the United Kingdom,» according to the report.

Politicians and the public should recognize that the United Kingdom’s drug strategy «has failed in its primary objective of preventing people from using drugs, manufacturing drugs, and to put an end to the crime, corruption, and death that are taking place on an industrial scale around the world.».

The report, titled «The Tidal Effect: How the World Is Changing Its Mind on Cannabis Legislation,» states that legalizing cannabis would ensure acceptable quality standards for the drug, remove criminal gangs from the equation, increase revenue for the Treasury, and protect public health.

If it were legalized in United Kingdom, cannabis could generate 7.9 billion euros, with more than 1 billion going directly to the Treasury. In addition to reducing legal costs, government regulation would also allow for long-term studies on the health effects of cannabis.

The report states that cannabis policy should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, with the Ministry of the Interior in charge of its regulation and the licensing system.

A Wave of Legalization

The wave of legalization is nothing new, but it is gaining momentum month after month. The California is the latest U.S. state to have legalized cannabis. The Netherlands has decriminalized cannabis since 1976, and Portugal since 2001. The’Germany is on track to legalize medical cannabis and the Canada is moving toward the regulation and full legalization of cannabis.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said, «British policymakers need to open their eyes to what is happening in the rest of the world. Cannabis prohibition is being swept away by a wave of grassroots initiatives and replaced by responsible legal regulation.» It is time for ministers to start drafting the rules for a new legal cannabis market—including age restrictions and health warnings—so that we can finally regain control over criminal gangs.”.

This appeal by British lawmakers echoes that of the British Medical Journal which stated that the prohibition of the production, distribution, possession, and use of certain drugs for non-medical purposes causes enormous harm.