A PROPOSITION entitled Cannabis: Decriminalisation of Personal Possession and Recreational Use has been lodged for debate next month.

It instructs the Council of Ministers to bring forward legislation before the end of next year concerning at least, but not exhaustively, “total acceptable gram allowance”; “restrictions on areas of consumption”; “restrictions on driving under the influence of cannabis”; and “relevant roadside capacity tests”.

This legislation is not simple and civil servants already have their hands full drafting the Assisted Dying Law, among many others. The Home Affairs Minister has stated she would not table an in-committee debate due to other priorities. This proposition, if passed, will force her hand and may well disrupt her other work. The minister’s stance is fine, but constitutionally it is the Assembly that controls these issues, not the minister.

The first issue to deal with must be the supply of cannabis for personal use, as it appears contrary to various international conventions for a jurisdiction to allow the exportation and importation of cannabis for nonmedicinal uses. If we simply legalise possession of cannabis for personal use, this will be for illegal drugs supplied by professional criminals. Authorities will still be expending valuable resources attempting to apprehend and prosecute smugglers when the simple possession for personal use will not be an offence. This is farcical and will, in all probability, increase the amount of illegally imported cannabis and profits for these criminals.

The proposition should address, in the first instance, the legalising in Jersey (by licensed entities) of the production, distribution and sale of cannabis for non-medicinal personal use, and arguably the growing of a limited amount of cannabis for personal use.

The entire package must be proposed at the same time or not at all. Otherwise, it is fair to ask whether those supporting the proposition have thought seriously about a workable solution.

Jersey has been leading on a number of issues in the British Isles, including universally free sanitary products, banning the hitting of children, and assisted dying. We have (oddly enough) the will and technical expertise to deal with complex and novel issues. Why not add a wellthought-out package to deal with the personal use of cannabis to this list?