A British research group has called for a "serious rethink" of drug policy after finding that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, and that banning the drug has no impact on supply.
The Beckley Foundation, a charity group featuring senior British and international academics as its advisors, said outlawing cannabis only acted to turn users into criminals.
"Although cannabis can have a negative impact on health, including mental health, in terms of relative harms it is considerably less harmful than alcohol or tobacco," the report by the Foundation's Global Cannabis Commission said.
"Many of the harms associated with cannabis use are the result of prohibition itself, particularly the social harms arising from arrest and imprisonment," it said.
"It is only through a regulated market that we can better protect young people from the ever more potent forms of dope."
The report comes as the British government pushes for cannabis to be re-classified as a Class B drug – alongside other illegal drugs such as amphetamines – rather than the less series Class C grading.
