Up in Smoke: Sadiq Khan Moves to Decriminalise Weed in London After Visiting California Pot Shop

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Facebook
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Facebook
Kurt Zindulka

Leftist London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced the formation of a commission to study the decriminalisation of marijuana in the British capital after vowing to do so in his reelection campaign last year.

Following a visit to a Californian cannabis dispensary in the city of Los Angeles on his tour of the United States, Sadiq Khan said that he would form a “London drugs commission” in order to examine the efficacy of drug laws in Britain, with a focus on potentially decriminalising cannabis.

The Labour Party politician said that the commission would help “tackle drug-related crime, protect Londoners’ health and reduce the huge damage that illegal drugs cause to our communities”.

“The illegal drugs trade causes huge damage to our society and we need to do more to tackle this epidemic and further the debate around our drugs laws,” Khan said in comments reported by The Guardian.

“That’s why I am here today in LA, to see first-hand the approach they have taken to cannabis.”

The citizens of California voted to decriminalise marijuana in 2016. Pro-weed politicians and activists have pointed to the reduction of marijuana-related crime, falling from 13,810 arrests in 2016 to 6,065 in 2017.

However, there is still a thriving black market in the state due to cheaper costs for street dealers who don’t pay tax to the government, undercutting the notion that legalising such drugs will reduce the powers of drug gangs.

There have also been concerns that the legalising of marijuana has resulted in a higher homeless population in the state. In the year following legalisation, homelessness in California increased by 15 per cent to over 135,000.

The homeless population has continued growing since, with the Department of Housing and Urban Development reporting that as of 2020, there were over 161,000 homeless people in California, representing nearly one third (28 per cent) of the entire population in the United States.

Yet, it is unclear as to how much of California’s homelessness problem can be attributed to the 2016 referendum, with there being a lack of issue-specific studies on the topic.

Any attempt by the leftist mayor to decriminalise weed in London will likely see considerable pushback, however, with Home Secretary Priti Patel noting that Khan “has no powers to legalise drugs” as mayor anyway.

Patel said that “Sadiq Khan’s time would be better spent focusing on knife and drug crime in London,” adding that drugs “ruin communities, tear apart families and destroy lives.”

The mayor could theoretically petition the government to change the law or, more likely, simply instruct the city’s police force to stop enforcement.

Since taking office in 2016, the London Mayor has overseen a steep rise in crime, with over 100 murders occurring during each year of his tenure.

Prior to last year’s London mayor election, Mr Khan said that he would campaign to decriminalise cannabis in the British capital, despite concerns over increased risk of mental illness, such as schizophrenia.

A prominent critic of the idea of legalising weed in Britain, columnist Peter Hitchens questioned whether the commission would “give any serious time or consideration to the anti-legalisation position?”

Hitchens has long argued against the idea of making marijuana legal, asserting that it contributes to mental illness, street violence, and other forms of social decay.

Former Justice Secretary, Lord Charlie Falconer QC, who is set to lead Khan’s drugs commission said: “I’m honoured to have been appointed chair of the London drugs commission. We need rigorously to identify what is the best approach to reduce harm to our communities.

“A national debate is long overdue. We aim to make recommendations to bring about effective and lasting change.”

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka

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