The Labour Party came into power earlier in 2024, after Kier Starmer led the party to victory in the general election on 5th July, ending 14 years of Tory rule.
But what does this mean for cannabis policy in the UK? With the conservatives out, political change is inevitable, but Starmer has made it clear that cannabis policy and other drug laws won’t be altering any time soon.
In an interview with ITV News one week before the election, Starmer confirmed that he wasn’t considering decriminalising cannabis or any other drugs. He stated he had “no intention” of changing any drug laws, meaning cannabis will remain a Class B drug illegal for recreational use. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as there was zero mention of cannabis in Labour’s 2024 manifesto – not even medical cannabis made it in there.
However, it seems Starmer’s professional views on cannabis may differ from his personal ones – if his university days are anything to go by, that is. In an interview in 2021 with Piers Morgan, he refused to answer questions about his past drug use 14 times. Morgan asked, “You did not spend all your time at Leeds University in the library did you? So a cheeky spliff here and there?” To which Starmer responded, “We worked hard and played hard”.
The Labour Party hasn’t always been so hard on cannabis
Although The Labour Party are not known for their pro-cannabis stance, they haven’t always been so staunchly against drug policy change.
In January 2004, back when former Labour leader Tony Blair was in government, cannabis was temporarily reclassified from a Class B to a Class C drug, following recommendations by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) in March 2002. However, in 2009, the Gordon Brown-led Labour Party reclassified it as a Class B drug – to the objection of the ACMD:
“Although the majority of members recognise the harms caused by the use of cannabis to individuals and society, they do not consider these to be as serious as those of drugs in Class B.”
Then, in 2018, ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said, “criminalising people for possession of small amounts of cannabis is not a particularly good idea.”
Most recently, a proposal by the current Mayor of London and former Labour MP, Sadiq Khan, to decriminalise cannabis in three London boroughs was leaked to mainstream media.
It didn’t go down well, facing criticism from then prime minister Boris Johnson and Kier Starmer, even though Khan’s scheme seemed to be largely in line with other drug diversion programmes being rolled out across various police forces in the UK.
A spokesperson for the mayor said: “The idea of the scheme, which is already used by other police forces across the country, would be to divert young people who are found with a small amount of cannabis away from the criminal justice system and instead provide help and support. This has been shown to reduce reoffending.”
However, in 2023, Khan told The Spectator magazine that his controversial programme is now “on the back burner“.
Drug diversion programmes: Something the two main parties can agree on
Although Khan’s programme was criticised, both recent Labour and Conservative parties have backed other police-led drug diversion programmes. These programmes have been rolled out in some police forces to help individuals that have committed minor offences – like possessing illegal drugs for personal use – stay out of the criminal justice system.
In these diversion programmes, police officers are advised to “offer a Community Resolution to all offenders found in possession of any controlled drug for personal use”. This means “finding an informal means of resolving a crime without the offender having to attend court”.
This way, those found with a “personal amount” of controlled drugs on them can avoid getting a criminal record. However, they may still receive a disposal, which would be disclosed in a DBS check.
The public is split on the issue
Although Cannabis is the most used illicit drug by UK adults aged 16-59 years old, with 7.6% of them reporting cannabis use in 2023, the public is divided on the issue of legalising recreational cannabis use.
Statistics show that as of May 2024, 39% of younger people aged between 25 and 49 support the legalisation of cannabis and other soft drugs, compared to only 23% of older people aged 65 or over.
Other parties campaign for cannabis regulation from the sidelines
In the shadow of the two dominant parties, The Liberal Democrats and The Green Party push for the regulation of cannabis.
The Liberal Democrats “want to introduce a legal, regulated market for cannabis”, stating that, “The UK’s outdated cannabis laws are causing harm. Criminal drug gangs are doing enormous damage to our communities and the lives of young people.”
Similarly, The Green Party said in their 2024 Manifesto that they would “push to decriminalise personal possession of drugs, diverting people from the criminal justice system towards support with addiction, housing and employment”.
However – at least for the moment – Starmer’s new Labour party remains reluctant to discuss these matter.
