The article discusses the failings of Britain's drug laws, particularly focusing on the recent attempt by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Lord Falconer to decriminalise small amounts of cannabis. Their proposal was rejected by the Home Office, emphasizing the challenges of reforming outdated laws. It highlights a persistent dilemma where politicians publicly admit to drug usage while many face severe penalties for similar actions based on social class. The article underscores the lack of meaningful legislative change despite public support for decriminalisation over the years, revealing a deeper divide in societal attitudes towards drug offences and criminalisation effects.
Yet another attempt to inject sanity into Britain's archaic drug laws has failed. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, last month accepted Lord Falconer's modest proposal to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis.
The reality is that the divide in Britain is not between those in favour of cannabis and those against. It is between those who care about the impact of criminalisation and those who don't.
An old game of media interviews is to ask politicians if they have ever taken drugs. Prime ministers from David Cameron and Boris Johnson to Keir Starmer have either admitted to taking them or refused to deny it.
Decriminalisation in one form or another has been proposed for a quarter of a century. In 2000, the Police Foundation committee on drugs advised downgrading cannabis from a class B to a class C drug.
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