British Parliament Will Discuss Legalization of Cannabis Following a Popular Initiative

"By legalising cannabis 900 million pounds [1,262 million euros] will be collected in taxes each year, 400 million pounds will be saved [562 million euros] in controlling cannabis and 10,000 new jobs will be created." With these words begins the popular initiative website calling for the regulation of the production, sale and consumption of marijuana in the UK.

More than 150,000 people have already joined this online request forcing the British Parliament to address the issue. Only 100,000 signatures were needed to achieve it. Nevertheless, the signatories will have to wait until September for this debate to take place at the meeting of the Committee on Petitions. So far, the government of David Cameron has made no official statement regarding this initiative.

The text, which argues that marijuana is "safer than alcohol" has become the second most voted petition of those registered in the Parliament’s petition website. Thanks to its dissemination through social networks, it has achieved thousands of signatures in just a few days.

James Owen, a young man of 25, has been the promoter of this citizens' initiative to ask the British government to follow the example of Uruguay or the US states that have chosen to legalise marijuana, such as Oregon, Washington and Alaska. "There’s roughly 3 million adult [cannabis] smokers in the UK and I don’t think it’s right for the government to be criminalising such a large section of society," Owen defended.

The initiative coincides with the recent decision by the Durham police not to pursue cannabis smokers or those who grow marijuana. Will there be a green revolution in the UK?