Branson wants cannabis decriminalised, legalised & regulated on global scale
“As a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, I stand shoulder to shoulder with my fellow Commissioners in making the case that no one should be criminalised, marginalised, or stigmatised for simple possession and personal use of illicit drugs. When problems arise, drug addiction should be treated as a public health issue, not a responsibility of already overburdened criminal justice systems,” Branson said in a blog post published on February 9, 2024.
“To be clear, when it comes to cannabis, no serious proponent of much-needed drug policy reform will downplay the risk of potent cannabis strains to mental health and brain development. Creating legally regulated cannabis markets really means managing those risks more effectively, both in terms of outcomes and costs,” he said.
Criminalisation of cannabis counter-productive - Branson
Mr Branson said; however, the criminalisation of cannabis has proven counter-productive and disproportionately impacts young people, affecting their chances in life while adding that the dominance of potent cannabis strains on the illicit market is precisely the result of drug prohibition.
“It’s a simple truth proven over and over again: in an unregulated environment controlled entirely by criminal organisations, producers will always seek to sell more a more concentrated drug that promises higher returns.
He said the only effective response to this dilemma supported by the Global Commission on Drug Policy and countless medical and policy experts, is to decriminalise and legally regulate cannabis, offering not only greater transparency and choice to consumers, but, ultimately, greater safety.
“The evidence from those countries and US states that have created regulated cannabis markets in recent years speaks volumes in this regard: none have seen notable increases in mental health issues or violent crime as a result of cannabis regulation,” he added while adding that the industry creates tax revenues.
Mr Branson said interestingly, many of those lobbying against cannabis regulation seem to have no such reservations about the sale and consumption of alcohol, a legal drug that is responsible for thousands of deaths every year and has been effectively linked to a range of issues, from domestic and sexual violence to traffic fatalities.
British OTs still facing roadblocks
Meanwhile, British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean seeking to set up their own medicinal cannabis industry have been faced with strict oversight from the UK, including refusal to assent to laws passed by those OTs to establish the industry.
One United Kingdom (UK) MP, Lloyd C. Russell-Moyle had said it was wrong for Britain to intervene in Bermuda's case declassification of Marijuana based on international treaties that they've had no say.
Since July 2020, almost 4 years ago, legislators in the [British] Virgin Islands passed its bill to legalise the medical and therapeutic use of cannabis, allowing for the possession of the drug in small amounts.
To date, the bill has not received assent by the Governor.
More UK hypocrisy?
In November 2018, medical cannabis was legalised in the United Kingdom, meaning cannabis can be prescribed if no other licensed medicine can be of help to the patient.
According to statista.com, the forecasted medical cannabis users in the UK in 2024 are estimated at over 337,000.
The forecasted revenue in the cannabis market in the UK in 2024 is US$1.29B.
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31 Responses to “Branson wants cannabis decriminalised, legalised & regulated on global scale”
LOVE JESUS FIRST
So substances are available from appropriate professionals, just like medicinal drugs, alcohol etc are only available from pharmacies or licensed shops and bars.
I am an adult and I wont ever take meth or coke because I know that they are harmful but ultimately I ought to have the freedom to make bad choices. Weed is a gateway drug because it may bring you into contact with criminals pushing harder stuff. People need to be educated to make smart decisions and making a substance taboo or illicit can sometimes make them more appealing, particularly to young people.
GOING ON OVER THERE OUT OF SIGHT ( WELL AT LEAST WE GOT THEM SOPHISTICATED BARGES , SO WE WONT HAVE TO PADDLE OR SAIL OVER TO AFRICA ????
Maybe he could get weed legalised
Moreover, there are over 400 strains of cannabis and as such there should be some control in place as there are with alcohol. There is some confusion between the medical marijuana strain and the psychoactive strain, which gets people high. The THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content of medical marijuana is low ( ~less than 3%), so it is not going to get people high easily. The populace must be educated on the good, bad, and ugly on cannabis use and impact. Consequently, laws should be put in place permitting residents to possess some maximum quantity of cannabis for personal use.
The UK is behaving hypocritical on the medical marijuana,and assenting power..In 2018, Parliament authorized medical marijuana use in the UK provided it was approved/prescribed by a doctor(s). True, there are limits on what ailments it can be approved for. The hypocrisy is that the crown give assent to the medical marijuana bill in the UK. It is one of those do as I say, not what I do. However, the UK-appointed Governor of the VI refused to give assent to a medical marijuana bill approved by the HoA, a body duly elected by the VI people. Moreover, in regards to assent power, typically under the Westminster system, before a bill passed by the Legislative body can be become la, it must be given assent to by the Head of State.; in the UK, the reigning monarch; in the BVI, the UK-appointed Governor, the local crown rep.The hypocrisy is that not giving assent to a bill in the UK is extremely rare. You will quicker get struck by lightning than a bill in the UK not getting assented to in the UK. Further, the last time a bill in the UK didn’t receive assent was in 1708 under Queen Anne—-The Scottish Militua Bill. More hypocrisy is that wait for it , the UK is one of the largest producers of medical marijuana.
After the prohibition it took a long time for alcohol to become largely available on a commercial scale because companies were still in two minds over the taboo. It wasn't as if these "men in smoky rooms" were waiting to pounce on their masterminded conspiracy. Yikes, do you really see the world in such ways?
Don't blame the governor for not agreeing to a medical marijuana bill proposed by a drug dealer. Perhaps wait a while to see what transpires, the UK government are woke idiots and will pander to anything and anyone.
I want to point out "the risk of potent cannabis strains to mental health and brain"
Living in constant fear of incarceration over a plant, depravation from lack of access to proper medicine, and good people with being sent to jail with real criminals, is many times more potent a risk to a persons mental health and brain development.
Send a schizophrenic to jail or give him/her a joint of medicinal, which do people think will affect them more?
Sizophrenics are not meant to be in jail and should do nothing to alter their consciousness including drinking or smoking, thats obvious. People who are depressed or addicted to other negative substances & activities can gain benefit from a cannabis 'retreat'.
H20 is a risk, its easier to drink too much water and kill yourself overhydrating than it is to overdose on cannabis. There's no recorded deaths.
For the rest of us with a stable mind the mental health 'risk' is way over played by people who are scared of the boogeyman AKA losing their mind crazy.
When it doesnt send you crazy thats when people start wondering, what else is a lie. Maybe coke aint so bad either, heroin? Education. coke is not weed. Alcohol is not heroin. Caffeine is not tobacco. 'DRUGS' are different substances.
Fear controls adults. Children believe in treats. Presented with a treat a child wont ask if the reason behind it is actually real, the tooth fairy. Presented with fear adults dont ask for details or reality. Remember COVID????
The war on drugs is santa and the tooth fairy for adults. We believe it is necessary to marginalize & criminalize our own people out of fear.
If someone says weed helps their depression or grief, is that not a case of being a benefit to mental health, why do we not talk about that? People who dont use cannabis want to know what is the point.
Either way,the killing fields laid out for the usual victims of massive self destruction will be increased,death trap beautifully laid out and no crumbs remaining. FOOLS rush in!!!
Can we make that legal too!?