Last Updated on 24th September 2020

On Monday it was officially announced that MP Boris Johnson had been elected as leader of the Conservative Party, which means he will succeed outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May as the head of government. Johnson is expected to take a different approach to politics than his predecessor, but will he push for national cannabis reform? He did become the first senior Conservative Party politician to call for the legislation of cannabis for medicinal use.

Loosened up on drugs

In an interview for Telegraph TV, the candidate for London mayor responded to a question from a reader about his personal views on the use of marijuana by sufferers of chronic conditions such as arthritis.

Mr Johnson said: “I have thought about this for a little bit, but I haven't looked at all the evidence and talked to the police about it in a way I would before giving more than an extempore answer.

“However, I do think there is a case when cannabis is being used to alleviate severe and chronic pain that the law should be flexible.”

The Blunt connection

Meanwhile Crispin Blunt, Conservative MP who supports more liberal drug laws, said discussions about cannabis were “coming into the mainstream of politics”. From his twitter feed:

“We must escape the simplicity of ‘#drugs are bad, they are banned’ and engage in evidence-based policy and the complexities about how to save lives, reduce infections & reduce crime.”

Mr Blunt last year set up a lobbying firm funded by overseas cannabis corporations, which he on Tuesday revealed he had already discussed with Boris Johnson. The group will formally launch tomorrow. At the Cannabis Europa conference in London recently Mr Blunt was asked how long he thought it would be before cannabis was legalised.

“Five years is the time I'm going to aim for,” he said, adding, “I'm the first Conservative to be the co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy Reform, and it reflects the fact that this conversation is now coming into the mainstream of politics.”

Of course, Johnson's key concerns for the immediate future are likely to centre around finalising the details of the ongoing Brexit negotiations. This means the UK's new political leader probably isn't likely to put much focus on drug policy until further down the line.



From calling cannabis “jolly nice” to an anti-drug policy to yes for medicinal. Where most would have cbd tea of coffee to boost themselves others went for cannabis. In terms of evaluating his approach to the sector, it is worth noting that the new Prime Minister has dabbled with illicit drugs in the past, including politicians using recreational cannabis.

Asked if he has smoked a joint before, he said “yes and ‘it was jolly nice.‘ But apparently, it is very different these days. Much stronger. I’ve become very illiberal about it. I don’t want my kids to take drugs.”

Today, however, Johnson recognises the need for cannabis for medicinal purposes.

If Johnson does manage to get a handle on the Brexit issue (no pressure) it is possible that Blunt could persuade the new PM to turn his attention to a more all-encompassing cannabis policy reform.