Press Office of Andrew Lam

Your opportunity to communicate with your adoring public.
Post Reply
User avatar
Andrew Lam
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2021 12:02 pm
Constituency: East Hampshire
XP: 0
Trait(s): None
Discord username: Aboltik

Press Office of Andrew Lam

Post by Andrew Lam »

Press Office of Andrew Lam MP

Image
Andrew Lam MP
MP for East Hampshire (2010-) | Conservative

Chancellor of the Exchequer (2021-)
User avatar
Andrew Lam
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2021 12:02 pm
Constituency: East Hampshire
XP: 0
Trait(s): None
Discord username: Aboltik

Re: Press Office of Andrew Lam

Post by Andrew Lam »

Andrew Lam: From Fighting Crime to Raising Revenue, PM Kingston is Right on Cannabis Legalisation

WESTMINSTER - Andrew Lam, MP for East Hampshire and Chancellor of the Exchequer, added his support for the declaration from Prime Minister Grant Kingston on Daily Politics that it was high time to look at cannabis legalisation and regulation in the United Kingdom. While Labour has taken the position that the recreational drug should remain illegal, Lam said that the facts of the UK's policy with respect to the drug warrant a "serious examination" if current policies are right for Britain. "Since 2015, the United Kingdom has spent more than £2.5 billion detaining people simply for recreational use of cannabis- not for hard crimes like pushing the drug or for related violent crimes. At a time where we're talking about giving the police better tools to fight violent crime in our cities, the PM is absolutely right to ask if this is what we ought to be focusing on."

Despite comments from Labour politicians, the case for legalisation- starting with decriminalisation and moving from there- is well-founded in experiences around the world. And the volume of scientific studies on the impacts of cannabis relative to other legal drugs such as alcohol is growing daily.

"This tough-on-recreational-users approach isn't about being tough on crime," said Lam. "If that were the case, we wouldn't see a black market that's worth worth £2.6 billion annually, with 255 tonnes sold to more than 3 million people" in 2017, according to a study conducted by the Institute of Economic Affairs. "As the Shadow Home Secretary talks about how we should be tougher on users- tying up resources that could be used to keep communities safe- we need to acknowledge that this approach has only empowered criminals who are making a lot of money on cannabis," he added.

"Meanwhile we know, thanks to non-profit organisations like Drug Science, that recreational use of cannabis isn't as dangerous as we were told to think. The overall risk to society is lower than tobacco and alcohol. Peer-reviewed scientific studies suggest that there's little evidence for increased risk of lung cancer- a leading global killer- for those who smoke cannabis compared to those who use tobacco on a regular basis. Use of cannabis is less risky for drivers than drinking- or even using a mobile phone. Is it perfectly safe? Of course not, no drug can be. But to say that it must be banned AND that we must have a zero-tolerance policy doesn't hold up like Labour wants you to believe."

As states in the United States and countries around the world have pursued decriminalisation- that is, not actually enforcing punishments for cannabis possession and use in certain ways- and legalisation, the benefits to the change have become clear. With proper regulation and taxation, the demand for black market drugs- which supports criminal enterprises- falls, robbing crime groups of needed funds. And when police are spending less on enforcing drug laws, they can free up resources for other uses, like tackling knife crime.

"Regulation can make sure the cannabis that IS out there is safe, and appropriate taxation can make it more appealing that buying from criminal enterprises. These safer drugs can cut costs for treatment at the NHS by millions of pounds, and the taxation could mean that moving towards legalisation could raise important revenue for health- and crime-related spending," said Lam. "The Institute of Economic Affairs suggested the benefit could be on the order of £1 billion each year in higher revenue with a solid taxation regime and in lower direct spending on cannabis-related health and crime expenses."

"At the very least, it's worth looking at- as the Prime Minister says. This is 2021, and it's time to be smart about our drug and crime policies- not just talking about being tough," said Lam. "I'm glad I'm on the smart side."
Andrew Lam MP
MP for East Hampshire (2010-) | Conservative

Chancellor of the Exchequer (2021-)
Post Reply

Return to “Press Office”