Lib Dems to legalise cannabis 'to protect young people'

The party said its plans for a legal market for the drug would include limits on its potency and they would ensure the drug is only available to over-18s.

"[We will] break the grip of the criminal gangs and protect young people by introducing a legal, regulated market for cannabis. We would introduce limits on potency and permit cannabis to be sold through licensed outlets to adults over the age of 18," the manifesto said.

Julian Huppert, the party's former home affairs select committee member, who is attempting to regain the Cambridge seat he lost in 2015, said the harm the drug causes to young people's mental and physical health, especially from its high-potency variants including "skunk", is a key driver for creating a legal market.

"Cannabis is freely available and widely used," he said.

"It generates significant health problems and vast profits for organised crime. The current approach is a disaster for young people, whose mental and physical health is being harmed by an increasingly potent product.

"There are no age checks, and no controls on quality or strength. ‘Skunk' is widespread and the only ID you need to buy it is a £20 note. 

"Successive governments have ceded total control of a significant public health problem to organised crime. The honest and pragmatic response is to take responsibility for this situation and regulate the market."

The Liberal Democrats estimate a legalised cannabis market could generate tax revenues of up to £1bn, which it promises to invest in drug education and treatment.

The policy is part of a long-standing commitment by the party to reform drug laws. Ahead of the last general election the party called for drug and alcohol-related crime to be treated as a health issue and come under the responsibility of the Department of Health.