Jo Swinson has admitted to smoking cannabis after her party announced plans to legalised the drug (Picture: EPA/Getty)

Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson has said she ‘enjoyed’ smoking cannabis at university as she pledged to make it legal if her party wins the election.

Miss Swinson last night told Newsnight: ‘I’m not going to be one of those people who says “I tried it once and I didn’t really inhale”.

‘Yes, I enjoyed it. And it wasn’t unusual… lots of people do it and we should enable them to do it more safely.’

The Liberal Democrats confirmed they will create a regulated market for the class B drug as they unveiled their manifesto on Wednesday.




The party slammed Labour and the Tories’ ‘prohibitionist attitude to drug use’ saying a cannabis tax could raise £1.5 billion to fight crime.

The pro-Remain group said they would follow models from the US and Canada by legalising the sale of cannabis through licensed shops.

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It would only be legal for adults over 18, with limits placed on how strong the weed could be, the party said.

After her manifesto launch, Ms Swinson said: ‘We’re criminalising far too many young people. It’s also meaning that it becomes a gateway to other crime.

‘If instead we can regulate the cannabis market, we can raise taxation revenue from that, we can set regulations about the safety of the cannabis which is bought and sold.

‘Then we can create a much safer environment. This is something that is led by the evidence.

‘It’s happened in other countries where they’ve seen a decrease in crime rate and indeed they’ve been able to make sure people’s health has been protected too.’

Under the plans, the Department of Health would lead on drugs policy rather than the Home Office.

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