The new year could see a multitude of changes in laws surrounding cannabis. The question on everyone’s lips is, “Is weed legal in the UK?” In December WHO, The World Health Organization moved to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention, pushing the UN to force a vote on the subject, rejected but still progress. In November French high courts in an appeal brought by Kanavape, ruled on hemp including CBD Flower that they are outside the UN single convention on narcotics, an Italian court followed suit the week after. Read below to find out the latest legalization news in uk 2022.
Weed legalisation UK 2022
Will there be a decision on weed legalisation UK in 2022 This is a valid question. Over the past few years, cannabis legislation UK has undergone a multitude of changes. In fact, at the 2021 GCI Virtual Summit, we learned that perspectives surrounding CBD are changing.
But what will happen in 2022? Will weed be legal in the UK?
At the Extract, we’ve done our research. This is what we think will happen in 2022 with weed legalisation UK and cannabis legalisation UK.
You may be interested in reading about: Delta 8 THC
A history of cannabis legalisation
Before we talk about whether or not weed will be legal in the UK, we should break down the history of cannabis legislation.
Since we’ve discussed this before, we have also talked about how CBD can help people like those who suffer from panic attacks, how CBD when accompanied with exercise has been shown to help people with Sciatica. We’ll summarise what we know here before delving into the meat of our article. Large brands like Nike have been endorsing hemp and its benefits on our carbon footprint per acre grown. UK based research has shown the effects of CBD on blood flow in the brain.
UK weed legalisation began popping up in 1929, in line with the Dangerous Drugs Act. In 1971, the growth of cannabis — across the board — was restricted in the UK. Hemp was used in the shipping industry and many industries.
However, in 2001, weed legalisation UK began to change for the better with the Misuse of Drugs Regulations. In fact, 2001 is when things began to change, whether or not is weed legal in UK.
People were allowed to grow cannabis, provided that they had a license from the Home Office. However, this cannabis could only be used for research purposes.
In 2015, UK weed legalisation changed — for medical purposes only. Thanks to the Misuse of Drugs (Designation), patients could now be granted cannabis prescriptions by the NHS.
The situation has remained the same since 2015. Thankfully, organisations like Grow Pharma are working to raise awareness surrounding cannabis legalisation UK.
As the British public become more and more aware of the benefits of cannabis, we believe that weed legalisation can only change things for the better.
What does this mean for CBD?
When people ask “Is weed legal in UK?” Many often include CBD in that question, but they are two very different things. Unlike cannabis, CBD is not a controlled substance. This means that CBD is legal in the UK. However, CBD products must meet certain standards in order to be deemed legal.
For example, CBD products cannot contain more than 1mg of THC. While CBD is not a controlled substance, THC — the psychoactive compound in cannabis — is still very much illegal in the UK.
Therefore, CBD manufacturers must stick to these stringent guidelines when manufacturing their CBD products. While this is not always the case, failure to do this could result in these manufacturers finding themselves in trouble with the Food Safety Association (FSA).
When will weed be legal in UK?
At The Extract, we might not be certain that cannabis legalisation UK will change in 2022. However, what we do know is that things look promising. We aren’t just saying that.
In 2008, Boris Johnson was one of the first Conservative MPs to call for the legalisation of medical cannabis. His reasoning behind this was that medical cannabis could be a game-changer for individuals who suffer from chronic pain.
However, with Boris Johnson as the Prime Minister, we believe that the UK now has the potential to legalise cannabis. According to BuzzFeed, Johnson hired Blair Gibbs as a special advisor.
Mr. Gibbs has called for the reform of cannabis laws for a long time. He held this position at 10 Downing Street for a little over a year. Despite his short stint as an advisor to Boris Johnson, we believe that his beliefs surrounding cannabis could have had a lasting effect. Legislation has opened access for special cases like Charlie Hughes, a child patient approved for cannabis.
Make sure you follow The Extract on social media for the latest legalization news UK.
The impact of the cannabis situation abroad
The answer to “Is weed legal in UK”, will be heavily influenced by countries who have gone before us. The progress made throughout Europe, and the discussions in Scotland will no doubt have a bearing on Boris Johnson’s decision.
This is because countries like the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain have decriminalised cannabis, something that many would like to see in the next round of weed legalisation UK
Furthermore, Germany, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic have completely legalised medical cannabis. In these countries, the number of medical cannabis patients is on the rise, proving that relaxed attitudes towards cannabis could be beneficial. Countries like France continue to pass laws on CBD and cannabis.
There is strong interest in the legalisation of weed UK, as Scotlandseems to be making moves towards the legalisation of medical cannabis. Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party, has spoken up in favour of making medical cannabis legal.
Failure to jump on the cannabis legalisation UK bandwagon could make the government looking outdated and archaic. As a nation that has consistently been on the cutting-edge of medical legislation and technology, this is clearly not an angle Boris Johnson wants to be stuck with.
Based on this, we can safely assume that UK weed legalisation will make moves towards legalisation of weed UK in 2022. However, it might not happen in 2022, as it might take a little more time to get the go-ahead.
Read our similar article on: Is CBD Legal Worldwide?
What should the government take into consideration before changing weed legalisation UK?
We believe that there are several factors that the UK should take into consideration, before deciding is weed legal in UK. These factors could potentially positively sway their decision.
Upon considering these factors, the British government could realise that a variety of individuals would benefit from UK weed legalisation.
Health benefits
Adding cannabis to your wellness routine can have a host of benefits. Studies have shown that cannabis can provide relief from seizures. Many individuals who cannot take seizure medication have been able to control their seizures with cannabis. The fact that some suppliers even in the US like Diamond have been found to have the incorrect ingredients on there packaging
In addition to this, medical cannabis is an effective treatment for insomnia. A large number of the British population suffers from insomnia. Changing cannabis legalisation UK could potentially improve their quality of life.
That’s not all; the anti-inflammatory properties in cannabis can help with arthritis. While reports are mostly anecdotal, the legalisation of cannabis could very well lead to more studies on the topic.
You may also be interested about: CBD for Cyclists
Regulation
Accessing the supply of medical cannabis in the UK can be difficult. This can be discouraging for patients, who then try to access cannabis in other ways. By doing this, they could potentially end up with a high-THC, low-CBD strain of cannabis.
Changing UK weed legalisation and regulating it would change things for the better. By doing this, the British government will be able to test and approve certain strains of cannabis.
As a result, British citizens will have access to tested, approved strains of cannabis.
You may be interested in reading about: CBD Driving laws in UK
Key takeaways
At The Extract, we believe that the British government has a lot to gain by answerings the public’s cries for “Is weed legal in UK” and “when will weed be legal in UK”.. The benefits far outweigh the negatives. Choosing to change cannabis legalisation UK could be a game-changer for British citizens across the board. Let’s wait and see when will cannabis be legal in the UK.
While we might not see this change in 2022, we believe that this could happen in the near future. After all, legalising and regulating cannabis is an extremely progressive position to take, and the UK does not want to be left behind.
Subscribe the The Extract’s newsletter to get all the latest legalization news UK.
You may also like to read: Can you ship CBD In the UK?
Source: https://www.theextract.co.uk/business/industry-insights/is-weed-legal-in-uk/
