Possession of small amounts of natural cannabis for personal use should be decriminalised as part of a wider strategy for reducing harms associated with the drug, according to the London Drugs Commission set up by Sir Sadiq Khan three years ago, whose long-awaited report is published today.
The report, described by City Hall as resulting from “the most comprehensive international study to date of the use, impact and policing of cannabis”, makes 42 recommendations for London and for national policy, covering education and healthcare and the use of stop and search powers.
It stops short of calling for the legalisation of cannabis, arguing instead that control of the drug should be governed by the Psychoactive Substances Act rather than, as at present, by the Misuse of Drugs Act, which would enable the limited decriminalisation advised.
The report of the commission, which has been chaired by former Secretary of State for Justice, Lord Charlie Falconer, comes to five broad conclusions a set out by City Hall:
- Cannabis can be addictive and more explicit provision of services focused on problematic use and addiction to the drug is needed, alongside greater join-up across health services.
- Possible gains from legalisation, including tax revenues and reductions in criminalisation, can be realised early. However, the extent of harms, particularly with respect to public health, as well as personal and societal costs, take longer to emerge and are not yet well understood.
- Inclusion of cannabis as a Class B drug in the Misuse of Drugs Act is disproportionate to the harms it can pose relative to other drugs controlled by the Act. The sentencing options currently available, especially for personal possession, cannot be justified when balanced against the longer-term impacts of experience of the justice system, including stop and search, or of serving a criminal sentence can have on a person.
- Cannabis policing continues to focus on particular ethnic communities, creating damaging, long-lasting consequences for individuals, wider society, and police-community relations.
- The content and timing of education about cannabis and its use, for both young people and healthcare professionals, is inadequate. It fails to acknowledge drivers of use and, in school settings, is often led by providers who lack sufficient credibility and insight.
Responding to the report, the Mayor said: “The London Drugs Commission report makes a compelling, evidenced-based case for the decriminalisation of possession of small quantities of natural cannabis, which the government should consider. It says that the current sentencing for those caught in possession of natural cannabis cannot be justified given its relative harm and people’s experience of the justice system.”
Falconer said, “It is clear that a fundamental reset is required” and that “the criminal justice system response needs to focus only on the dealers and not the users”. He stressed the need for “reliable, consistent medical and other support” for those suffering from “the averse effects of cannabis use”.
The commission’s deputy chair, Janet Hills, a former Metropolitan Police detective sergeant and former chair of the National Black Police Association, said, “It is time for a shift in our approach to cannabis enforcement to create a more equitable and just system”, adding that the proposed reforms “highlight the need for a more balanced and compassionate approach to policing in our city.”
City Hall says the report will “set the scene for a robust national debate” about how best to reduce the harm done by the drug and would also “help address ongoing disproportionality in the operation of stop and search, which particularly impacts London’s black communities”.
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