Found: CPG on Medicinal Cannabis 15 september 22 minutes
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reallocating police resources currently spent on cannabis-related enforcement to other public safety priorities.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has no plans to legalise cannabis.
Cannabis is controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The maximum penalty for possession of a Class B drug is up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
The maximum penalty for supply and production of a Class B drug is up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has considered reallocating police resources currently spent on cannabis-related enforcement to other public safety priorities.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has no plans to legalise cannabis.
Cannabis is controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The maximum penalty for possession of a Class B drug is up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
The maximum penalty for supply and production of a Class B drug is up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
Jan. 31 2025
Source Page: Exportation of cannabis from Thailand to the UK is prohibitedFound: Exportation of cannabis from Thailand to the UK is prohibited
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the annual cost of cannabis-related health conditions to the NHS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to reducing the harm from all illicit drugs. Any illegal drug use, including cannabis, can be harmful, both from immediate side-effects and long-term physical and mental health problems. It can, for some, have a negative impact on their fertility. Cannabis use can contribute to and exacerbate existing mental health problems or can accelerate their development in people predisposed to mental health problems.
No estimate has been made of the annual cost to the National Health Service specifically of cannabis-related health conditions or the impact of cannabis-related mental health conditions on NHS finances. An assessment cannot be accurately made because the data relating to cannabis and mental health related health conditions and admissions is presented across various settings. The diagnosis code for ‘mental and behavioural disorders due to use of cannabinoids’ does not include admissions to mental health hospitals or cannabis-related treatment occurring outside of a hospital setting.
Dame Carol Black’s review of evidence related to drugs, published in February 2020, estimated the cost to the NHS of illegal drug use, not substance specific, at £431 million per annum. This includes admissions in secondary care, prison treatment and infectious disease. However, this figure does not include other NHS costs such as primary care or accident & emergency usage so will be an underestimate.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of cannabis-related mental health admissions on NHS finances.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to reducing the harm from all illicit drugs. Any illegal drug use, including cannabis, can be harmful, both from immediate side-effects and long-term physical and mental health problems. It can, for some, have a negative impact on their fertility. Cannabis use can contribute to and exacerbate existing mental health problems or can accelerate their development in people predisposed to mental health problems.
No estimate has been made of the annual cost to the National Health Service specifically of cannabis-related health conditions or the impact of cannabis-related mental health conditions on NHS finances. An assessment cannot be accurately made because the data relating to cannabis and mental health related health conditions and admissions is presented across various settings. The diagnosis code for ‘mental and behavioural disorders due to use of cannabinoids’ does not include admissions to mental health hospitals or cannabis-related treatment occurring outside of a hospital setting.
Dame Carol Black’s review of evidence related to drugs, published in February 2020, estimated the cost to the NHS of illegal drug use, not substance specific, at £431 million per annum. This includes admissions in secondary care, prison treatment and infectious disease. However, this figure does not include other NHS costs such as primary care or accident & emergency usage so will be an underestimate.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the annual cost of imprisonment due to cannabis-related offences.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As at 31 December 2024, the number of prisoners with cannabis-related offences recorded as their main offence was 1,073. This figure only includes cases where a cannabis offence (offence which directly involves and specifies cannabis) was recorded as the main offence and will cover prisoners held for varying lengths depending on their sentence.
The overall average annual cost for keeping an individual in a prison is £51,108, which is taken from the latest published Prison Unit Cost statistics for 2022-23.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent studies her Department has considered on the effectiveness of regulated cannabis markets in reducing adolescent cannabis consumption.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has no plans to legalise cannabis.
Cannabis is controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The maximum penalty for possession of a Class B drug is up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
The maximum penalty for supply and production of a Class B drug is up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies on the level of police resources for tackling cannabis use of the report by TRANSFORM Drug Policy Foundation, entitled High returns: the economic benefits of UK cannabis legalisation, published on 18 February 2025.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has no plans to legalise cannabis.
Cannabis is controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The maximum penalty for possession of a Class B drug is up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
The maximum penalty for supply and production of a Class B drug is up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.