A Report from the British Treasury Reveals That Legalisation Would Contribute 800 Million per Year to Its Public Funds

There are things that cannot be hidden for much time. One of those is that the legalisation of marijuana provides a large amount of revenue; the experience of Colorado is proof of this. Now, a recent internal study from the British Treasury has shown that this legalisation would result in 800 million pounds sterling (around 1 billion euros) in annual tax for the country’s public funds. Furthermore, it creates big savings for the country’s penal system.

The leaked report had been commissioned by the Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg, former vice Prime Minister. The document quotes from a research study carried out by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (Iser) at the University of Essex, which estimated that the annual increase in the State’s revenue could be between 500 (around 700 million euros) and 800 million pounds sterling if cannabis was regulated in the same way as tobacco.

Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat’s spokesperson for health related matters, believes that these conclusions should be used to create a new approach to the treatment of these types of substances.

Lamb added that the report can help to contribute towards a bigger debate about drug reform and that the United Kingdom could spend the millions of pounds obtained from the new market on other sectors, such as education. “There are successful emerging cannabis markets and we have to learn from these experiences”, he stated.

In turn, the Conservative Government believes that a reform of the drug law is not a priority. Faced with this situation, Lamb believes that those who oppose regulation are the people that need to stop and explain why the ban should be upheld. Those who support regulation believe that it should be the citizens that decide for themselves whether they want to consume marijuana or not.