Nicky Haynes has almost forgotten the pain she used to be in. She has been taking Sativex, a drug derived from cannabis, for about five years and says it has hugely improved her life. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1994, and her condition progressively worsened to the point where she couldn’t sleep, where reaching for a glass of water would trigger a spasm and she was in constant pain. The first time she took Sativex was during a long car journey, fearful that she wouldn’t be able to walk when she got out. But she was able to walk better than she had for a long time.

Labour

 

(Photo: AFP)

• Jeremy Corbyn has said he would be in favour of legalising cannabis for medicinal use.
• But the party's official policy is still to maintain its legal status, and legalisation is not in their 2017 manifesto.

Conservatives

 

The Prime Minister echoed earlier sentiments that the UK should be "pulling together" (Photo: 2017 Getty Images)

Weed, pot, skunk, grass and dope are just a few of the words taken from the vast dictionary of slang terminology used to describe a certain plant.

A plant that has been widely used as far back as ten thousand years, long before the war on drugs began. In the world of agriculture it is seen by many as a miracle crop, and was one of the very first plants to be cultivated by humans.

Throughout history it’s had countless applications in numerous industries such as clothing, textiles, fuel, cooking and medicine. Its natural healing qualities have been utilised for centuries in civilisations all over the world and its medicinal benefits have been recognised by many cultures and religions.

In 1926, an American trade unionist, William Roberts, gave evidence on the effects of alcohol prohibition to the Senate Judiciary Committee:

“Everywhere we went there was plenty of distilled liquor, but seldom real beer. We found that the homes of the people had been turned into breweries and distilleries which turned out dangerous decoctions that if drunk to any extent would ruin the health of those who drank them. When asked why they drank such stuff they said there was nothing else to be obtained, and they invariably asked when were Members of Congress going to realize that the manufacture and sale of beer would make for true temperance.”

Europe may seem like an increasingly divided continent, but there is one thing that unites its people: an obsession with using tobacco to smoke cannabis. Up to 90% of Europeans combine tobacco with cannabis, according to the latest Global Drug Survey. By comparison, only 8% of Americans smoke cannabis this way.

Cannabis is illegal in the UK – and many other European countries – and it has known harms, but the reality is that many people use the drug anyway. Consequently, policy needs to reflect this reality.

Do a quick internet search of the phrase, 'debunking the gateway drug theory', and you'll quickly see how many stories are churned out on this subject each year by reputable news sources and various associations.

Waking up in hospital is always disorientating. You feel the hard, scratchy bedclothes and hear the peculiar sounds of machines and other patients. You look around in search of a familiar face, but often lock eyes with a uniformed stranger instead. Your body feels different – whether from the pain or the medication – and it can take a while to work out where you are – or even who you are.

Legalizing cannabis would raise £1bn in tax revenues, according to the Liberal Democrat manifesto, which backs a regulated market for the drug.

The document calls the war on drugs “a catastrophic failure” in which billions were flowing into organised crime rather than the Treasury’s coffers.

The Lib Dems said a legal, regulated market for cannabis would bring in £1bn for the government, based on Treasury figures commissioned by Nick Clegg while he was deputy prime minister.

Liberal Democrats want to legalise it, on grounds the ban is an enormous waste of time and money.

One million hours of police time are being wasted each year on policing the ban on smoking cannabis, the Liberal Democrats say.

Research by the party drawn from official figures shows a total of 87,247 police caseloads relating to the drug were opened in 2015, with the average cost to the taxpayer per case estimated at £2,256. 

The estimate says that in total £31m was spent on 1,044,180 police hours.

The party says the drug is already “freely available and widely used” and that regulation rather than prohibition makes sense.

Some people think the Lib Dems are potty after they unveiled one of the most radical policies of the general election campaign so far.

The party, led by Tim Farron , said it would legalise cannabis and allow it to be sold openly if it wins.

The plan is to “break the grip of criminal gangs” through the creation of a “legal, regulated market” while raising up to £1billion in tax.

So is it more than just a pipe dream?