President Biden’s ‘social justice’ and ‘health-based approach’ is a move towards normalising cannabis as both a medicine and a recreational drug, say experts.
Drug reform experts in the UK and Europe have welcomed a ‘momentous’ decision made by US President Joe Biden on Thursday 7 October, which will ‘undoubtedly’ shift attitudes across the globe.
President Biden announced in a Twitter thread that he would be pardoning thousands of federal offences for simple cannabis possession and was calling on state governors to do the same.
He is also directing the Department of Justice and the US Attorney General to review how cannabis is classified under federal law.
The move is a significant step forward for cannabis reform which could have far-reaching implications for patients and consumers in the US, but also elsewhere in the world.
Experts in the UK say that not only will this see justice for patients who were thrown in jail as a result of trying to access an effective treatment, but will also open up research opportunities and understanding of cannabis as a medicine.
“This move will have an important tidal effect on global policy reform for drugs,” Katya Kowalski, head of operations for drug reform group Volteface, told Cannabis Health.
“From Biden’s Tweets yesterday, it’s very clear that he’s taking a social justice and health-based approach to cannabis, realising that locking people up for simply possessing or using it is nonsensical and only serves to do more harm.”
She continued: “His steps towards the reclassification of cannabis also demonstrates a move towards recognising that cannabis is significantly less harmful than opioids and cocaine. This will, if anything, only help to open up medical research and better understanding of the compounds of the drug.
“It is particularly positive from a social justice perspective, in terms of undoing the harms of prohibition. We’re now seeing cannabis normalised as both a recreational drug and a medicine.”
Justice for cannabis consumers
Professor Mike Barnes, chair of the UK Cannabis Industry Council also welcomed the news in the hopes it will influence the UK government to take similar steps.
“So many people have been locked up for so long for simple possession of cannabis, and so many lives have been ruined unnecessarily,” he said.
“From the point of view of the CIC, we must remember that many of those people were just trying to treat their medical conditions and ended up in jail. Let’s hope that this move from the US will at last jolt our own government into action and many more people are enabled to access the medicine they need and deserve. It’s about time.”
In a situation which is echoed in the UK, black people and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by prohibition. According to Release, the UK’s national centre of expertise on drugs and drugs law, black people are 12 times more likely than white people to be prosecuted for cannabis possession, despite being less likely to use the drug.
Niamh Eastwood, executive director of Release, described the decision as ‘momentous’.
“The United States, the original architects of the modern drug war, are now leading the way in dismantling prohibition, at least in respect of cannabis,” she said.
“As Biden acknowledges in his announcement drug law enforcement has disproportionately affected people from racialised communities, a situation that is repeated in the UK.”
The UK remains behind
However, the news comes in the same week that UK Home Secretary Suella Braveman promised to clamp down on cannabis at the Conservative Party conference and follows calls from Conservative police and crime commissioners to make it a Class A substance, which would see harsher penalties for consumers.
Ms Eastwood continued: “Whilst the US starts to take pragmatic, evidenced-based approaches to cannabis, much of which is grounded in racial and social justice principles, in the UK we are going backwards. The new Home Secretary has just announced her intention to clamp down on cannabis users and three Conservative police and crime commissioners last week called for the drug to be made a Class A substance.”
She added: “It’s quite unbelievable to watch UK political leaders scrambling to look tough on drugs, whilst many parts of the world are moving towards decriminalisation and regulation.”
Whilst Ms Kowalski believes stricter cannabis laws in the UK are unlikely, these comments only encourage ‘fear mongering’ and incite ‘stigma’ and ‘prejudice’ towards consumers.
“The conversation in the UK needs to move towards harm reduction and to educating people on the harms, but also the medical potential of cannabis,” she said.
“This is a complete backward step when we should be taking an evidence-based approach to cannabis reform.”
Pressure from Europe
Closer to home, countries across Europe are also increasingly moving towards cannabis regulation.
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Published 4 hours agoon 7th October 2022
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Source : CannabisHealth
Link to original : President Biden’s move towards cannabis reform is step closer to justice for consumers
