Comment & Analysis: It's about time the UK put cannabis on the market

Selling cannabis on a regulated market would benefit millions of UK citizens in many different ways.

Copyright: Dwayne Hards.

Over the past few years, around 29.6% of UK adults — aged between 16 and 59 — admitted to smoking weed at least once in their lifetimes, according to Statista. However, it is currently unclear as to how many teenagers (aged under 16) have admitted to smoking weed, as children can't legally provide their consent to participate in ONS surveys; however, the number would, without a doubt, be quite high.

Regulating cannabis would provide millions of UK citizens with a safer way of purchasing their weed instead of relying on dangerous drug dealers and criminal gangs. Our young people also need a safer way of getting hold of certain age-restricted products; in other words, teens are just putting their lives at risk to get ahold of cannabis and age-restricted products, so a change to the law would lessen the unnecessary risk to teenagers' safety and would make them feel more independent.

Regulating cannabis would save the UK Government billions of pounds a year, according to The Week. It would also help our economy recover after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's attack on our rights and the economy.

Dangerous drug dealers would lose most of their profits, and they would, therefore, struggle to continue with their criminal activity and their exploitation of our young/vulnerable people. This is because most people would use the cannabis market to purchase their weed.

Regulating cannabis is unlikely to result in those using the market to try harder drugs. This is because, when cannabis is sold on the market, no harder drugs will be sold. This means the market's users won't have the option to purchase harder drugs, and criminal gangs' profits would take a massive hit; therefore, less people will use hardcore drugs, such as: heroin and cocaine.

Those using the would-be cannabis market would actually know what they're buying instead of trusting their unaccountable drug dealers and being given a harder drug, such as: spice.

Alcoholic drinks and some medically-prescribed drugs have been scientifically proven to be less beneficial, and even more harmful, than cannabis. Cannabis can actually help with many illnesses, such as: pains, cancers, and PTSD.

Putting weed on the market would make those who use it feel more accepted in society, as they won't be as scared of the police — even though the police don't tend to enforce this "law" — or the lowlife snitches who grass them up.

It's about time the greedy and corrupted Government regulates cannabis and gives its citizens what they truly deserve. The Government's "opposition" — Labour — also need to pressure its members into opposing the Tories' clearly-failed drugs policy.