London, Manchester and other UK city governments looking to boost local revenues and generate new, local jobs should pilot legal cannabis production and retail this year. Pilot programmes across a number of large cities would enable the redeployment of police resources away from cannabis prohibition enforcement, boost local employment and create new jobs to support a recovery in local government revenues. London and Manchester can lead the way, with the national government playing catch-up.

The London Cannabis Study, published last month, provides 20 simple recommendations on how the Mayor of London and other UK mayors can proceed with these pilot programmes, building on international best practice in creating accessible, streamlined legal cannabis markets.

Figure: The 20 recommendations for the Mayor of London in the London Cannabis Study could be acted on by all UK mayors to pilot a legal cannabis industry that would boost the local economic recovery across the country. See a detailed explanation on each recommendation in the full study: www.londoncannabisstudy.com

Publish streamlined model regulations to displace illicit supply & create employment

In order to distinguish between different types of producers, London and Manchester Mayors should publish a model regulatory framework that introduces a simplified licensing regime with four tiers of producers:

• Up to 10 plants for home use per individual (no license required)
• Up to 100 plants for community cultivation and use (license required)
• Up to 1,000 plants for small scale commercial use (license required)
• Over 1,000 plants for larger scale commercial use (license required)

Creating a simple, fast and affordable licensing process is essential to displace illicit supply and to enable Londoners and Mancunians to enter the formal business immediately. A simple licensing regime would also be easier to pilot and manage as a formal urban cannabis industry blossoms.

Establish a retroactive clemency and criminal record expungement framework.

City-level cannabis pilots should pave the way for a national cannabis regulatory framework that includes clear provisions to repeal all prior civil and non-violent criminal penalties related to cannabis possession and supply. In their model regulations, Mayors should specify that there be no cost to the individual seeking expungement and the process should happen within 30 days of the request being made. UK Mayors should work together to agree on a new schedule of civil penalties for conduct related to cannabis in excess of certain weights and for use by underage Londoners. Any new maximum penalties and lengths of incarceration for cannabis related offences will be significantly shorter than at present.

Local courts should be granted full discretion to impose alternative sentences for all cannabis-related offenses in lieu of monetary penalties and imprisonment, including community service and participation in vocational training.

Ensure that land use & zoning rules support local craft cannabis industry growth

A third recommendation is that Mayors’ model cannabis regulation should provide accommodative zoning and land use specifications for the operation of cannabis-related businesses. The burden for compliance with zoning or land use regulations and the requirements for seeking a variance to existing rules should be no greater for a cannabis-related business than for any other similar businesses currently selling alcohol. The model city cannabis regulations should specify that local councils who continue to ban cultivation or retail cannabis sales should not be able to access local grants financed with cannabis tax revenues.

Mayors should recommend the extension of current restrictions on public smoking of tobacco products to the smoking of cannabis products and all cannabis vaping products. The model cannabis regulations in London and other cities should permit each local council to dedicate places to consume cannabis including indoor venues such as cannabis lounges, social clubs and tasting rooms, and outdoor venues, including local community gardens, farms, and other, commercial venues.

There is lots to do in order to realise the benefits of a legal cannabis market for UK cities. Mayors and local councils need to get to work today to make it happen.

Access a recording of the London Cannabis Study launch roundtable here.

Hamish Stewart is chair of the London Cannabis Legalisation Commission