The video will start in 8 Cancel

Get all the latest politics news Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

The Liberal Democrat general election manifesto will include a pledge to legalise cannabis.

And cannabis - also known as marijuana, dope or grass - won't just be legal for medicinal purposes, as some campaigners want.

It will be sold legally in high street shops for anyone who wants to smoke it.

Local councils will have the power to issue licenses to shops allowing them to sell cannabis, similar to licenses which currently allow the sale of alcohol.

Products will be strictly regulated, to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals included.

And you'll have to be over 18 to buy it.

Lib Dems say the drug would be taxed - raising £1 billion a year.

And it would also save money for police and the prison system. Not only would ordinary users no longer run the risk of being prosecuted, but criminal gangs would lose a source of income, the Lib Dems say.

(Image: Handout)

People who use marijuana for medicinal purposes would find it easier to acquire, but the drug would also be on sale for anyone who just wants to get stoned.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

It's the first time a major political party has fought an election with a pledge to legalise the drug.

Website Buzzfeed broke the news that the pledge will be included in the Lib Dem manifesto. A party spokesman confirmed the plans.

Lib Dem spokesman Julian Huppert said: “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.

“Successive governments have ceded total control of a significant public health problem to organised crime.

“The honest and pragmatic response is to take responsibility for this situation and regulate the market.

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

“We will restrict the market to over-18s. We will make cannabis safer by limiting THC content and requiring all products to contain CBD, which has been bred out of ‘skunk’ and counteracts the harmful effects of THC. And we will invest tax revenues of up to £1bn in education and treatment.”