Global Cannabis Commission

Cannabis is by far the most widely used illegal drug, constituting 80% of illicit drug use, yet is rarely mentioned in international drug policy discussions. Recognising this, in 2006 Amanda Feilding convened a team of the world’s leading drug policy analysts to form the Beckley Foundation’s Global Cannabis Commission. The Commission consisted of Professors Robin Room, Wayne Hall, Peter Reuter, Benedikt Fischer, and Simon Lenton.

The Commission prepared an overview of the latest scientific evidence surrounding cannabis and the policies that control its use, and identified possible routes forward, including depenalisation, decriminalization, and a regulated legal market. They also discussed how individual countries might reform cannabis policies to suit their individual needs. The report was hailed by experts and the media as much-needed.

The Conclusions and Recommendations of the Commission were recorded in the Global Cannabis Commission Report, which was launched at the Seventh International Seminar of the series ‘Society and Drugs: A Rational Perspective’ at the House of Lords in 2008. The initial report was later refined and published as a highly influential book, ‘Cannabis Policy: Moving Beyond Stalemate’.

To download the full 2008 Global Cannabis Commission report, along with translations to French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Greek, and Serbian, click here.