Calls for cannabis to be decriminalised before Christmas – report finds ‘evidence of no evidence’

A new report is threatening to blow up the cannabis issue after finding a lack of evidence to support its criminalisation.

The report, published by the cannabis campaign group Seed Our Future, details the history of cannabis prohibition as based on ideology and racism, and highlights a lack of evidence to support the inclusion of the plant within the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Cannabis is currently controlled as a Class B drug under the Act, meaning it is unlawful to possess, supply, produce, import or export it except under a Home Office licence.

The Seed Our Future campaign submitted FOI requests to police forces across the UK, as well as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the Home Office and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), asking them to produce evidence for the scheduling of cannabis.

The responses revealed an ‘unequivocal evidence of no evidence’, according to the report.

Campaigners believe the results could have the power to ‘turn the tables’ with police officers supposedly in breach of employment law and possibly several criminal laws if they continue to enforce cannabis laws.

Seed Our Future founder and co-author of the ‘Cannabis and the Law – No Evidence, No Crime?’ report, Guy Coxall compared it to the PPI scandal and said reparations could cost the Government billions.

“The report proves that there is no evidence to justify cannabis ever having been permitted as a narcotic – we’ve got the evidence that the evidence doesn’t exist,” he told Cannabis Health.

“We are supporting people in courts of law and had one case dropped in August because the CPS couldn’t produce any foundation evidence. If there is no evidence these court cases are going to collapse and we can actually claim reparations through a civil court.”

He continued: “This could potentially lead to a PPI of cannabis claims, which could cost the Government billions, because potentially everybody who’s been adversely affected by cannabis laws since 1971 could claim reparations for damages.”

The Seed Our Future report was sent to police forces across the UK last week, and on Thursday 5 November, landed in the inboxes of every MP, as well as the Home Secretary, the Secretary of State, the Secretariat for the ACMD, the Attorney General and the Prime Minister.

It calls on them to act immediately to completely remove cannabis from the Misuse of Drugs Act, instructing them that inaction on these findings would result in the ‘implementation of legal action’ for misconduct in public office.

“Our target is for cannabis to be completely removed from all drug scheduling before Christmas,” said Guy.

“The Government is not above the law and we are going to fight this as far as we need to.”

West Midlands Police recently said it would be telling its officers to use their own discretion when enforcing cannabis laws, but others have responded by highlighting the fact that they don’t make the laws, only enforce them.

“Two years ago they supposedly legalised medical cannabis but there’s only been three NHS prescriptions in two years, it’s unacceptable when so many people are struggling every day,” he continued.

“Even the ACMD said it would take 5,000 men or 20,000 women to not use cannabis to prevent one person getting schizophrenia. It seems completely illogical that dangerous drugs such as tobacco and alcohol are socially acceptable whereas cannabis is the safest drug and helps with over 100 different conditions.

“It should be available to the public. We’re just trying to do the right thing.”

However, the Government’s approach is clear that it must ‘prevent drug use’, ‘support people through treatment’ and ‘tackle the supply of illegal drugs’.

A Home Office spokesperson commented: “Illegal drugs devastate lives and communities.

“Cannabis is a controlled drug and the Government has no plans to decriminalise it. There is clear scientific and medical evidence showing cannabis is harmful and can damage people’s mental and physical health. This was most recently noted in Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs published in February.”

In the Independent Review of Drugs, commissioned by the Home Office, Dame Carol Black stated that: “After heroin and crack cocaine, cannabis is the most common drug that results in people seeking treatment

“Cannabis poses a large number of health risks, including psychological and respiratory disorders, particularly given recent increases in potency.”