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The Liberal Democrats have unveiled a dramatic manifesto pledge to let shops and social clubs sell cannabis - raising up to £1billion in tax.

Party chiefs announced today they will completely legalise the drug and allow it onto the market if they win the general election.

With just nine seats in Westminster the Lib Dems are very, very unlikely to do that.

But they are still thought to be the first time one of the traditional 'main three' parties has campaigned on a platform of legalising cannabis, something the government has refused to do.

The manifesto will pledge to "break the grip of criminal gangs" by introducing a "legal, regulated market" for the drug.

Sellers would have to be licenced like they are for alcohol. The scheme would include limits on potency and only allow the drug to be sold to people over 18.

(Image: Getty)

A Lib Dem source even suggested Britain could see cannabis "social clubs" spring up around the country.

The party, which agreed the policy at its conference last year, estimates a cannabis tax could raise up to £1billion which would be spent on public health, education and prevention.

This is based on research for the party which estimated it could generate between £400m and £900m.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron told the Mirror last year: “I tried cannabis when I was younger, as did many other politicians.

“But sadly, too many other politicians want to continue forcing our police to waste resources chasing cannabis users when they should be able to take violent crime instead.

“It’s time that we had the courage to look at the evidence and make a decision that will help us to tackle the real criminals instead of the current failed approach.”

(Image: Rex)

The party's Cambridge candidate Julian Huppert, a former MP, said: "Cannabis is freely available and widely used. It generates significant health problems and vast profits for organised crime.

"The current approach is a disaster for young people, whose mental and physical health is being harmed by an increasingly potent product. There are no age checks, and no controls on quality or strength. ‘Skunk’ is widespread and the only ID you need to buy it is a £20 note.

" Liberal Democrats will take back control from the criminal gangs and protect young people by introducing a legal, regulated market for cannabis."

Despite pleas by campaigners cannabis remains a Class B drug and those caught with it can face five years' jail - more than for date rape drug GHB.

Jeremy Corbyn said last year he would legalise cannabis for medicinal use but the policy did not feature in Labour's draft 2017 manifesto.

Nearly 250,000 people signed a petition to make the production, sale and use of cannabis legal but it was dismissed by the government last year.