Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Tuesday 20th August 2019

The Government has no plans to change cannabis policy.

The Government has no intention of legalising cannabis. Cannabis is controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as there is clear scientific and medical evidence that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage people’s mental and physical health, and harms individuals and communities.

The legalisation of drugs in the UK would not eliminate the crime committed by the illicit trade, nor would it address the harms associated with drug dependence and the misery that this can cause to families and communities. Legalisation would send the wrong message to the vast majority of people who do not take drugs, especially young and vulnerable people. As such, the Government would not establish a system for the production and distribution of cannabis for recreational use.

There is an established legal provision for the production of cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPM) under a Home Office licence and a licence from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). There is also an established legitimate system to allow importation and distribution of these products. For access to unlicensed CBPMs, patients can only access these with a valid prescription from a specialist clinician on the GMC’s specialist register.

In relation to low level cannabis offences and associated convictions, the police have a range of powers at their disposal to deal with drug-related offences in a way that is proportionate to the circumstances of the offender and the public interest.

We have confidence in our police officers to assess as appropriate any necessary enforcement action, whether it is a public order or protection or local drug issue that needs addressing.

In relation to industrial hemp, the Government has no intention of amending this policy. The Government operates a robust and risk-based licensing system to enable the cultivation of low THC cannabis (industrial hemp) from the non-controlled parts of the cannabis plant (i.e. seeds and fibre/mature stalk). Our policy enables the production of hemp fibre for industrial purposes or the obtaining of seeds which are then pressed for their oil. The cultivation of cannabis plants must be from approved seed types with a THC content not exceeding 0.2%. The ‘0.2%’ reference is used solely to identify varieties which may potentially be cultivated, within the scope of this policy. The current policy is in place to prevent misuse and diversion of the controlled parts of the cannabis plant, and currently, there is a large number of companies successfully operating under this industrial hemp policy.

Home Office