Overview

• The London Drugs Commission recommended moving natural cannabis from the Misuse of Drugs Act to the Psychoactive Substances Act to decriminalise small-scale possession.
• Sadiq Khan backed the commission’s call, arguing that current laws disproportionately harm ethnic communities and undermine police-community relations.
• A Home Office spokesperson confirmed the government has no intention of changing cannabis’s Class B classification under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
• Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said decriminalisation “is not something we’re calling for” and linked drug use to rising acquisitive crime and anti-social behaviour.
• The commission also urged expanded addiction services and enhanced public education on cannabis risks, noting that long-term health impacts remain uncertain.