Former Justice Secretary calls for legalisation of cannabis

Former Justice Secretary calls for legalisation of cannabis

Kenny MacAskill

Former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has called for cannabis use to be legalised.

Writing in today’s Scotsman, Mr MacAskill welcomed the UK government’s decision to allow medicinal cannabis treatment for Billy Caldwell, an epileptic boy whose supply was recently confiscated at Heathrow Airport but was later returned.

He said the decision was “not only the right one but long overdue”.

Mr Macaskill added: “But, it has also opened up the debate up on the legalisation of cannabis itself with Lord Hague, a former Tory leader, now supporting its legalisation – and why not? After all as the former Foreign Secretary has said the war on drugs is lost and the benefits of medical use are long proven and allowed elsewhere.”

He pointed to the recent legalisation of the drug in Canada, where debates revolve around the “practicalities rather than the principles” of legalisation.

The former Justice Secretary also asked why we should “limit it to medicinal use”.

He said: “I don’t use it and tend to frown upon recreational drug use, viewing it as hedonistic but fully accept the hypocrisy that runs within that argument as someone who consumes alcohol. All the evidence tends to show that alcohol is more harmful than cannabis to both the individual and society.”

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