UK’s Liberal Democrats, in Favour of Legalising Cannabis

The liberal democrats have become the first UK party to officially endorse cannabis legalisation, as shown by its delegates’ votes at the spring conference that has just taken place in the City of York. 

The Liberal Democrats have thus given their support to the idea of licensing shops to sell cannabis. According to the party, legalising cannabis would inject £1,000m (more than €1,200m) into the country’s economy, as a result of taxation.

Nick Clegg, the country’s former Deputy Prime Minister, has said that "the tide is turning, and it is simply a matter of time before European countries, including the UK, follow suit. I’m delighted that the Liberal Democrats are the first political party in the UK to commit to follow the US example." 

Moreover, Mr. Clegg, also the former leader of the Lib Dems, has had a meeting with the US investment fund Privateer Holding, which owns the Marley Natural cannabis brand and wants to promote the legalisation of cannabis in the United Kingdom. 

A spokesman of Mr. Clegg’s has stated that the meeting was merely an informal event for discussing an issue the politician was very interested in. However, Brendan Kennedy, chief executive of the fund, claims that the UK will "inevitably" legalise cannabis one day and has announced his holding’s intention to become an international company. 

During the conference, Norman Lamb, former Minister of State for Care and Support, maintained that "when people buy cannabis from criminals, they have no idea what they are buying." This is why he believes that regulating its sale and making it a legal business can be advantageous both to public health and the community. 

However, the Lib Dems’ poor showing in last year’s elections (winning only 8 seats, 49 less than in 2010) means that they will be unable to legalise cannabis in the near future. Nevertheless, the very fact that they have decided to officially support its regulation represents a step forward for marijuana lovers.