cannabisnews.com: Legalising Pot Would Save £1.6bn 





Legalising Pot Would Save £1.6bn 
Posted by FoM on October 15, 2000 at 12:30:49 PT
By Colin Brown, Political Editor 
Source: Independent U.K.
Legalisation of cannabis could save the taxpayer more than £1.6bn, MPs will be told in an independent report. And a new poll published today underlines the growing strength of support for the legalisation of cannabis, with 66 per cent in favour of making the drug freely available. The poll, which was carried out by MORI, also shows that 55 per cent of Britons support its sale through licensed government outlets. 
Tony Blair yesterday was resisting the growing cross-party demands for a Royal Commission on cannabis, but the report by the respected House of Commons library could undermine his stand. Mr Blair was already facing difficulty after Yvette Cooper, the Health Minister, joined the growing list of politicians who have confessed to using the drug. Mr Blair was forced to give the green light to other ministers who want to confess to their own use of the drug. He said he would not gag them from confessing about using drugs at university. "It's up to people to decide what they want to do," he said. Pressed about Ms Cooper's confession, Mr Blair said: "I don't think it's important. What is important is making sure we fight organised crime and the drugs trade properly." The Commons Library research paper says that cannabis users are costing Britain £790m a year on police, courts and prisons. That will give further ammunition to those senior police officers who have warned against wasting resources by cracking down on soft drug users. The report says that assuming legalised cannabis products would be subject to the same levels of duty as currently paid on cigarettes, "Government revenue would increase by approximately £1bn a year, suggesting a [total] gain to the public purse of around about £1.6bn a year". Martin Salter, the Labour backbench MP for Reading West, who is leading the campaign for a Royal Commission on cannabis to be set up, said: "There is now an unanswerable case for an inquiry to look at all aspects of cannabis use.". • The cannabis row may have damaged the Tories. The latest NOP poll shows that Labour has regained a seven-point lead – by 42 per cent to 35 per cent – over the Tories, in the wake of confusion among senior Conservatives about "zero tolerance" on soft drugs and following confessions by eight front-benchers that they had taken the drug. Source: Independent (UK) Author: Colin Brown, Political Editor Published: Sunday October 15, 2000 Copyright: 2000 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd. Contact: letters independent.co.uk Address: 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/ Related Articles:Blair: Keep Marijuana Illegalhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7339.shtmlCampaign To Legalize Marijuana Use in Britain http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7303.shtmlTories Fail Tough Test on Drugshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7302.shtmlTop British Tories Admit Soft Drug Use http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7290.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #3 posted by Occassional Pot User on October 15, 2000 at 21:11:01 PT
Thanks FoM
Im watching it now
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #2 posted by FoM on October 15, 2000 at 13:01:53 PT:
Half Baked - Comedy Central
Hi Everyone, Half Baked is scheduled to be on this evening at 8pm et. As we know the times can very but I thought I'd post this so you can check your local program guides! I've never seen it and it looks funny!Half Baked - 10/15 (120 mm) Sunday, Oct 15 8:00PM Comedy Centralhttp://www.comedycentral.com/Starring Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams. When Kenny is arrested for killing a diabetic police horse during a munchies run, his three dead-beat friends must come up with a way to bail him out. The question is can they raise the money without joining their pal in jail? 
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on October 15, 2000 at 12:58:19 PT:
Many a Good Laugh.
It is extremely amusing to follow this development in the UK. Now, if the contagion will merely spread to the USA.
[ Post Comment ]

Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: