It is currently Class B, with very limited exceptions. Drug policy (including the classification of cannabis) has been a controversial topic in UK politics. The UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, is studying the possibility of assigning a stricter classification to cannabis in national drug laws, due to concerns that marijuana is a gateway drug and could cause serious health problems. Braverman's review follows recent calls from other law enforcement leaders to reclassify cannabis as a class A drug, the same category that is assigned to substances such as heroin, cocaine and ecstasy.
The government classifies cannabis as a class B drug and carries penalties of up to five years in prison for possession and up to 14 years for production or trafficking. The stricter designation of class A drugs for cannabis would aggravate penalties for marijuana-related crimes, including sentences of up to seven years in prison for possession and sentences of up to life imprisonment for marijuana producers and suppliers. An unidentified source close to Braverman told The Times that the interior minister believes that the harshest penalties are justified because they would serve to deter the consumption and trafficking of cannabis. The commitment to classify cannabis more strictly continues the conservative government's commitment to combat illegal drug use.
In July, the Ministry of the Interior, the government ministry responsible for law and order, immigration and security, published a white paper revealing a proposal to revoke the driving licenses and passports of people with multiple drug-related convictions. The Interior Minister has supported the tightening of the government's classification of cannabis following calls made earlier this week by law enforcement authorities to reclassify marijuana as a class A drug. At the time, the Ministry of the Interior stated that there were no plans to reclassify the drug, while activists for cannabis policy reform called the idea “dangerous” and “crazy”. At a Conservative Party conference held in Birmingham last week, a group of police and crime commissioners called for more stringent regulation of cannabis, arguing that it was time for the government to recognize that marijuana is more than “a little of marijuana”.
At the Birmingham meeting, police and crime commissioners called for a change in cannabis policy, saying it's “time for us to realize that it's not just a little bit of marijuana.” David Sidwick, Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, said that cannabis “causes harm to communities”. Sidwick, who previously worked in the pharmaceutical industry, stated that “a large amount of new data has come to light on the effects of the drug on health”, which deserves “a reevaluation of the penalties associated with crimes related to cannabis”. He added that law enforcement is necessary along with drug education and rehabilitation, and stated that the designation of cannabis as a class A drug would provide clarity to law enforcement policy. Peter Reynolds, president of CLEAR, a group that campaigns against the prohibition of cannabis, said that the proposal to reclassify the drug in the UK is “completely crazy”, adding that conservative commissioners are “promoting ideas that will increase crime, violence and child exploitation”.
After police and crime commissioners revealed the proposal to classify cannabis as a class A drug, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said that the potential dangers associated with cannabis did not justify reclassifying the drug. However, media reports now indicate that Braverman is reviewing the evidence before making a final decision. Cannabis is sometimes associated with young people starting to smoke tobacco, as cannabis is often smoked with tobacco in the United Kingdom, unlike what happens in many other parts of the world. The UK government now offers free business advice and support services to cannabis producers and processors to obtain fiber.
However, a regulatory change that would make it easier and more affordable to prescribe medical cannabis, with or without a license, would offer domestic companies the opportunity to grow and sell products in the UK market. It also recommended that domestic cultivation of cannabis be legal for personal use and that the creation of authorized small-scale cannabis social clubs be legally allowed. Medical cannabis products are only imported into the UK once a prescription has been issued to a patient, causing delays and making the prescription more expensive. Cannabis prohibition began earlier in British colonies than in Britain itself; attempts were made to criminalize cannabis in British India in 1838, 1871 and 1877. As in other jurisdictions, the UK is expected to eventually change its policy on cannabis, facilitating access for medicinal purposes and decriminalizing (or potentially legalizing) recreational possession and use.
The current prescription system for medical cannabis in the UK presents both an opportunity and a threat. Companies that have a long-term vision16 of growing medical cannabis in the UK for export within the current regulatory framework could continue to reinforce the country's strong export performance.
