What are the benefits of legalising cannabis?
With so many countries in the world legalising cannabis lately, many people are wondering when it’s going to happen here in the UK, and what would be the benefits of legalising cannabis. In this post, I’m going to be looking at the benefits which can be obtained from the type of legalised and regulated recreational cannabis industry that us at Daze of Hope are campaigning for.
The benefits of legalising cannabis are plentiful. Regulating the production and sale of cannabis will make buying quality cannabis easier and safer. It will take money from the hands of Organised crime, and save hundreds of thousands of hours of police time. Taxes raised from the sale of cannabis would help fund important services like the NHS. It would also allow new businesses to open catering towards recreational cannabis users.
Legalised and regulated.
Before I talk about the benefits, let me quickly describe how us here at Daze of Hope see the future.
We want a legal and regulated recreational cannabis industry, where cannabis is sold and taxed in a similar way to alcohol is currently.
Sale of cannabis should be restricted by age and the packaging should show the percentage of THC, in a similar manner as the ABV on bottles of alcohol.
Taxing cannabis sales should be comparable to alcohol taxation as well. With the higher end taxes reserved for potent concentrates and extracts.
We also think it to be legal for people to be able to grow their own cannabis at home.
Less money for organised crime
One of the biggest benefits to legalising recreational cannabis, is removing control of the market from the criminal gangs. Especially those who exploit the vulnerable, or use slaves, trafficked in from abroad to maintain the grow.
Many people think of growing cannabis as a victimless crime. Although a fair number of illegal cannabis farms are run by organised crime gangs. These gangs use the vast profits to fund other illegal ventures. They are also known to use intimidation and violence.
Extra tax money for important services
We’re always hearing in the news how various local and national services, like our beloved NHS, are short funded and struggling. Imagine how much they would benefit from a share of the £3 billion that current estimations say the UK’s illegal cannabis market is worth.
If you assume a system of duty similar to alcohol (and take VAT into account). That’s potentially an extra £1 billion pounds into the exchequers coffers.
After the last decade of austerity we have all suffered through. I think public services could do with some extra funding.
Frees up Police time
How many hours of police time would be freed up by the legalisation of cannabis?
The police spend on average 1,044,180 hours on enforcing the ban on cannabis each year. There are currently 1,363 people in prison in England and Wales for cannabis related offences at the cost of £50 million a year. It costs on average £449 to keep a person in police custody for 12 hours.
Tax Payers Alliance
Imagine how much safer our streets would be if the existing police force could dedicate 1 million extra hours with out any extra cost to the tax payer?
Not to mention the benefits of not criminalising normal, hard working, every day people because they choose to consume a plant.
New and exciting business opportunities
The legalisation of cannabis would also bring with it a whole new load of business opportunity for the entrepreneurial sorts out there.
Already there are several companies growing and developing medicinal cannabis and it’s derivatives. But legalisation would open the doors to recreational purposes as well. Things like edibles, cafes, smoking clubs etc.
These would all boost the local economies wherever they are based. As well boosting government coffers with all the extra tax money these businesses would raise. I mentioned benefits these taxes produce earlier in this post.
Conclusion
Legalising recreational cannabis would produce numerous benefits.
Cannabis users will be more assured of the quality of the cannabis they are consuming.
It will take money away from organised crime, as well as freeing up over 1 million hours of police time which could be better spent elsewhere. Taxes raised would help boost services and make up for shortcomings.
Given the general state of the country at the minute, these all seem like easy wins for whichever party wants to take up the mantle.