Topics / Crime, policing and justice
Should possession of drugs such as cannabis be decriminalised or legalised?
Should possession of drugs such as cannabis remain a criminal offence, be decriminalised and treated mainly as a health matter, or be legalised within a regulated market? The debate turns on contested evidence about effects on drug use, health and crime, and on differing views about personal liberty, protection of the young and vulnerable, and the proper role of the criminal law.
Positions
- Legalise and regulate: Prohibition has failed to stop drug use, hands the market to organised crime and criminalises otherwise law-abiding users. A legal, regulated market would let the state control quality, potency and access, and raise tax revenue for prevention and treatment.
- Decriminalise possession, treat use as a health issue: Possessing drugs for personal use should no longer be a criminal offence. Use should be treated as a health issue, with referral to treatment and support, as in Portugal since 2001, while supply remains illegal.
- Keep current laws: Drug possession should remain a criminal offence, because legalisation or decriminalisation normalises use and increases harm, especially to young people and to mental health.