Ed Davey defends support for legalising cannabis and smoking ban - BBC News

Are we still talking about "skunk"? I'm pretty sure most of the stuff you find in "regulated" environments like Amsterdam is stronger than anything you'd find in the UK.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has insisted his support for legalising cannabis is not "inconsistent" with backing a phased smoking ban.

Sir Ed told the BBC he wanted a regulated market for cannabis, arguing that potent forms of the drug and smoking were both "very harmful to people's health".

Taking questions from the public during a BBC Radio 5 Live phone-in, the Lib Dem leader was asked if his support for the smoking ban impacted his stance on the legalisation of cannabis.

The Lib Dem manifesto, which sets out what the party would do if it was elected, pledges to take "'skunk' off the streets by introducing a legal, regulated market for cannabis".

The manifesto also promises to free up police time, reduce court backlogs and tackle prisons overcrowding by diverting people arrested for the possession of drugs for personal use into treatment where appropriate.

Meanwhile, the Green Party manifesto promises a National Commission to agree on an evidence-based approach to reform of drug laws to allow the UK to "move towards a legally regulated market".

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