UK: Liberal Democrats propose cannabis legalization for 2019 general election

Called in October following the failure of Brexit negotiations, the general election on December 12 will determine the next 650 members of Parliament. Detailed proposals—ranging from the economy to Brexit to the healthcare system—are outlined in each party’s manifesto ahead of the general election.

The Liberal Democrats have published their manifesto a 96-page campaign brochure, with the slogan Stop Brexit, Build a Brighter Future. Among their proposals is the legalization of cannabis.

The Lib Dems acknowledge the failure of prohibitionist policies that rely on fear-mongering rather than facts: «The prohibitionist stance of Labor and Conservative governments toward drug use has been driven by fear, not by evidence. It has failed to address the social and medical problems that drug abuse can cause for individuals and their communities,» the manifesto states.

They want to take a different approach and reform access to cannabis through a regulated cannabis market in the United Kingdom, with a robust licensing framework, drawing on best practices from the U.S. and Canada. The manifesto outlines three key points:

• Transfer responsibility for drug policy from the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, and invest heavily in support services for people with substance use disorders
• Treat individuals arrested for possession of drugs for personal use as people in need of treatment and impose civil penalties on them rather than imprisonment
• Break the stranglehold of criminal gangs by introducing a legal, regulated market for cannabis: set limits on potency levels and sell cannabis through authorized retail outlets to adults over the age of 18.

The Liberal Democrats will support and encourage clinical trials on the medical use of cannabis. They also want to allow those who already use cannabis to manage their pain to do so without fear of criminal prosecution.

The economic argument is also being put forward. According to them, legalization could generate more than 1.5 billion pounds in revenue through sales at licensed stores. Community policing is also a key objective, with a promised investment of 1 billion pounds to assign two new police officers to each neighborhood. The officers would immediately receive a 2% pay raise.

While not going quite as far, the Labor Party also has a few policy points on cannabis, namely shifting from the criminalization of drug use to a public health-based approach, reviewing the medical cannabis prescription system to facilitate access, and calling for a Royal Commission on all drugs.