Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Pot shops may soon hit the streets of the UK, if a panel of experts gets its way.
A new report conducted by scientists, academics, and police chiefs concluded that legalizing the sale of marijuana in "specialty shops" in the UK would create £1bn (about $1.4 billion US) a year in tax revenue, The Independent's Oliver Wright reported on Tuesday.
The report is the centerpiece of a new drug policy written by the Liberal Democrat Party. It will be presented at the party's spring conference later this week, according to Wright.
Under the policy, people over the age of 18 could buy marijuana from "single-purpose stores modelled [sic] on pharmacies," like dispensaries in the US, or grow their greenery at home for personal use. A new bureau of government would regulate the price, potency, and packaging of all marijuana sold.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The experts behind the report called upon the government to join the ranks of the growing number of US states where medicinal and recreational users alike are free to light up. Doing so would generate not only massive tax revenue, but also decrease drug-related crime and temper the drug's harmful effects on users, they write.
A Liberal Democrat Party leader told The Independent that going after cannabis users was a "waste of police time," and condemned criminal convictions for damaging people's careers.
Colorado, one of the first two US states to legalize recreational marijuana, raked in about $996 million in legal sales of medicinal and recreational cannabis in 2015, according to a Denver Post investigation. Sales grew more than 42% last year, and while crime is up since 2012— when pot was legalized — marijuana-related offenses accounted for as little as 0.5%.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
It seems the experts behind the UK report are adopting Colorado's "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" attitude.
"We are fully aware of the health harms associated with cannabis use,"the report states, "but contend that a rational policy must pragmatically manage the reality of use as it currently exists, rather than attempt to eradicate it using punitive enforcement."
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: Here's why marijuana gives you the munchies
