More than half of the British public now supports the legal regulation of cannabis but, while countries around the world are taking the sensible step forward, the UK is still stuck in the past. If the UK government is serious about protecting our young people, our health, and reducing crime, it must now legally regulate cannabis (for non-medical/recreational/adult use). The current system is not working.
The UK’s illegal, unregulated cannabis market puts the health and safety of our communities, and particularly our young people, at risk. Cannabis laws designed to reduce, and ultimately eradicate, cannabis use and the illegal market, have been an abject failure. These laws have existed for fifty years yet there are 2.5 million people using cannabis in the UK every year, supplied by a market worth £2.5 billion, a market which remains in control of organised crime. Not only is cannabis prohibition fuelling crime and ensuring that all the profits of this ever expanding market goes untaxed, into the pockets of organised crime groups but it is also maximising the health risks associated with use.
Without quality controls and clear labelling, people have no idea what they’re buying and consuming, its risks, or how to minimise them. Basic consumer protections that we are used to having with other products, do not exist in the illegal cannabis market. People using cannabis have little choice but to access increasingly potent products, often adulterated or contaminated with anything from pesticides to heavy metals.There are no age restrictions in the illegal market, so anyone can easily buy cannabis, and some cannabis products, like vapes and cannabis-infused sweets are being targeted directly at young people. As well as making cannabis more risky, unregulated production and sales are also fueling exploitation, with many young people being used to sell drugs or work on illegal cannabis farms.
This long list of harms has come about from the UK’s futile attempts at getting cannabis under control through enforcement. The solution? Legalisation and responsible regulation. From Canada to Germany, countries are now reforming their cannabis laws. For Canada, five years on, regulation is staying – nearly three quarters of all cannabis consumers shop from the legal market, products are quality controlled and safer, there has been no increase in youth use, profits have gone to licensed businesses, and tax revenue has gone to National and Provincial governments, funding health and education, instead of lining the pockets of organised crime groups.
A legalised UK cannabis market would responsibly regulate the production and sale of cannabis. Quality controls, testing and labelling would allow people to know what they’re buying, while a ban on advertising, and age restrictions in shops would keep cannabis out of sight and reach of those who are underage. The revenue, now coming to the UK Government as tax, would support the promotion of health, education and harm reduction campaigns that give people the information on responsible use and the risks associated with cannabis. This safer regulated market would protect communities from the dangers of the illegal one.
Other governments have seen the opportunity that legalising and regulating cannabis offers to their country and citizens – it’s now time for the UK to catch up.
For years, Transform has been working globally on designing cannabis markets that work in the best interests of society, we deserve to have the same in the UK. To achieve this change we need your support. We are launching a crowdfunder to raise £50,000 to help support our work to bring responsible cannabis regulation to the UK. We are an independent charity – we receive no government funding and never accept money from the industries which stand to profit from a legal cannabis market.
