London Mayor Backs Cannabis Decriminalization – Ganjapreneur | How to buy Skittles Moonrock online

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan is backing decriminalizing personal possession of cannabis, following a report by the London Drugs Commission that recommends removing natural cannabis from the Misuse of Drugs Act, the BBC reports. In an interview with the BBC, Kahn said that the current cannabis rules “cannot be justified” and that the report provides “a compelling, evidence-based case” for decriminalization.

Lord Falconer, a former Labour cabinet minister and chair of the commission, told BBC Radio Four’s Today that “continuing to have possession as a crime meant continuing to have problems between the police and ethnic communities.” He added that the current law “doesn’t work, is disproportionate” and that “stop and search in London … is most commonly based on ‘the smell of cannabis’ and … disproportionately used against young Black men.”

“The law treats cannabis the same as a whole range of much more serious drugs. The right course now, we think, is keep dealing criminal but make sure that possession is not a crime.” — Falconer to the BBC

Mark Rowley, Metropolitan Police commissioner, told the BBC that changing the law on cannabis is “a matter for parliament” and that drugs are “at the center of a lot of crime.”

“Drug dealing is so linked to violence. We see a lot of communities complaining about public drug use and that’s a big issue in terms of antisocial behavior,” he told the BBC. “If the law changes, we’ll change around that, but it’s not something we’re calling for.”

The report also recommends improved public health services for cannabis-related harm, including better treatment access and coordination; enhanced cannabis education with earlier, age-appropriate, and credible content in schools; support for fair medical cannabis access, including addressing cost barriers and expanding research; and monitoring international developments and reassess the case for broader legalization in five years.

The mayor convened a commission in 2022 to investigate potential benefits and drawbacks of decriminalizing cannabis possession.

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