Ms Niamh Eastwood:

Absolutely, we support regulation. What we have seen is that the illicit market is "booming". That is the UN's word, not mine. The harms are increasing constantly. We see the increase of the harms. Therefore, we have to look at mechanisms that can reduce those harms. Decriminalisation is one. On cannabis regulation, we are building an evidence base that the sky does not fall in and levers can be put in place by Government in order to reduce harms if we see them increasing. At present, I would argue prohibition gives one an absence of control, not a presence of control.

Then we look at the other markets. For example, in the Netherlands there are conversations around cocaine regulation. I think how this would work would be one will start with trials at local levels and see what worked. Ms Lawlor described the pharmacy model. We have cannabis social clubs. Social clubs may be an appropriate model for some of the drugs, such as MDMA and some of the psychedelics. We start to build that evidence. Nobody is suggesting that we go wholesale into legalisation tomorrow. I imagine that would be difficult for politicians. It is starting to support, recognising the failure of approach, moving immediately to decriminalisation of all drugs in recognition those harms do not happen, and regulation of cannabis. I think we are getting there on cannabis.