If we needed any further evidence that cannabis isn\u2019t just for hippies anymore, it is the report issued last week by Britain\u2019s Institute of Economic Affairs, a pillar of the UK\u2019s political establishment, calling for legalization \u2014 albeit under close government regulation.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0IEA describes itself<\/a>\u00a0as the UK\u2019s \u201coriginal free-market think-tank.\u201d It was founded in 1955, with an ideological Cold War mission \u2014 \u201cto improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.\u201d On June 30, it hosted a press conference and discussion at the\u00a0Royal Geographical Society<\/a>, wittily entitled \u201cHigh Time to Legalise Cannabis<\/a>.\u201d There, the think tank proposed exactly how they believe Britain should legalize marijuana.<\/p>\n The IEA found that the UK\u2019s black market in cannabis is worth 2.6 billion pounds annually (equivalent to $3.4 billion), with 255 metric tons of cannabis sold to more than 3 million people last year.<\/p>\n Chris Snowdon, the IEA\u2019s head of \u201clifestyle economics,\u201d was quoted by\u00a0The Guardian<\/a>\u00a0as saying, \u201cIt\u2019s high time for reform of cannabis policy in the UK. Canada and the USA are showing the way. Done properly, the legalization of cannabis is a win-win-win: criminals lose a lucrative industry, consumers get a better, safer and cheaper product, and the burden on the general taxpayer is reduced.\u201d<\/p>\n A legal cannabis market would generate sales of 2 billion pounds, the IEA found \u2014 that\u2019s twice the size of Britain\u2019s cider industry. The think-tank stated that a value-added tax (VAT) and excise duty, together with new streams of business and income taxes, would lead to a 1 billion pound \u201cwindfall\u201d for the\u00a0Treasury<\/a>. This, significantly, would be enough to\u00a0close the budget gap<\/a>\u00a0at the financially troubled\u00a0National Health Service<\/a>. The IEA added that legalization would \u201cvirtually eradicate\u201d the black market.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the report at times indulges in reefer-madness-style misconceptions about cannabis, specifically towards those high-THC varieties that UK citizens\u00a0colloquially call \u201cskunk.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0It states: \u201cThe dominance of hazardous, high-strength \u2018skunk\u2019 cannabis in the black market should be a key reason for legalisation. Licensed sales would allow safer, regulated cannabis to displace the more dangerous strains and generate tax revenue that could be spent on mental health services.\u201d<\/p>\n The proposal calls for regulators to establish maximum limits on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the cannabinoid responsible for feeling high, and minimum limits on cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic cannabinoid that shows a growing array of medical benefits.<\/p>\n Of course, keeping \u201cskunk\u201d illegal would undermine the effort to \u201cvirtually eradicate\u201d the black market. And there is a case to be made that high-potency strains are more beneficial, as they require users to smoke less to achieve the same effect \u2014 sparing the lungs exposure to tar and carcinogens.<\/p>\n The IEA proposes that sales be restricted to those over 18, and take place only at specially licensed outlets. A license would also be required for growing and importing.<\/p>\n The report comes on the heels of other signs that Britain\u2019s political establishment is\u00a0starting to bend<\/a>\u00a0towards cannabis legalization, at least. Last month, the\u00a0Home Office<\/a>\u00a0announced that it will allow the use of medical cannabis products in one case \u2014 that of\u00a012-year-old epilepsy sufferer Billy Caldwell<\/a>. A general review of the policy that has heretofore barred such products even to the seriously ill is now underway.<\/p>\n In announcing the policy review, Home Secretary Sajid Javid was quick to emphasize that there are \u201cabsolutely no plans\u201d for a general legalization. However,\u00a0he did say<\/a>: \u201cI have now come to the conclusion that it is time to review the scheduling of cannabis.\u201d And he\u00a0acknowledged that the current policy \u201cunsatisfactory\u201d for everyone involved.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Theresa May last year\u00a0pledged to continue<\/a>\u00a0the \u201cWar on Drugs,\u201d citing \u201cthe incredible damage [drugs] can do to families and the individuals concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n Opposition\u00a0Labour Party<\/a>\u00a0leader Jeremy Corbyn has come around more forthrightly on the question. This week, he\u00a0told a reporter<\/a>: \u201cI think criminalizing people for possession of small amounts of cannabis is not particularly a good idea, and does lead to great difficulties, particularly for younger people in communities like mine so I do think the debate is moving on.\u201d<\/p>\n TELL US,<\/b>\u00a0do you think the UK will legalize marijuana soon?<\/p>\n The post Conservative UK Think-Tank Urges Legal Cannabis for Britain<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
If we needed any further evidence that cannabis isn\u2019t just for hippies anymore, it is the report issued last week by Britain\u2019s Institute of Economic Affairs, a pillar of the UK\u2019s political establishment, calling for legalization \u2014 albeit under close government regulation. The\u00a0IEA describes itself\u00a0as the UK\u2019s \u201coriginal free-market think-tank.\u201dContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":190,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4657,50,2576,3857,4871,3397,4872,901,4873,81,4874,3400,3401,2190],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27655"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27655"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27656,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27655\/revisions\/27656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Irrational Fear of \u2018Skunk\u2019<\/h4>\n
Breakthroughs in the Bureaucracy<\/h4>\n
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\nRead More: Conservative UK Think-Tank Urges Legal Cannabis for Britain<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"