Nick Tyrone Nick Tyrone

Sadiq Khan’s cannabis stunt is typical of his empty gesture politics

(Getty images)

Sadiq Khan’s decision to launch a commission looking into decriminalising cannabis is a perfect advert for his time as London mayor. It shows all too clearly that Khan values empty gesture politics over getting on with his day job.

Don’t get me wrong: legalising cannabis seems a smart idea. It is, after all, a waste of police time and effort stopping the trade of drugs which are widely used and cause comparatively limited harm. But is it any of Khan’s business to focus on this issue?

‘It’s time for fresh ideas to reduce the harms drugs and drug-related crimes cause to individuals, families and communities,’ said Khan this week. ‘If re-elected, I’ll establish a London Drugs Commission – independent experts to examine the latest evidence from around the world.’

This London mayoral race has been a miserable electoral spectacle

But why? There is a mountain of evidence out there already. We don’t need to waste London taxpayers’ money doing more research on this subject. If Khan wants to decriminalise soft drugs, he should just go ahead and say so. He should take a stand and pledge to enact it if re-elected. Instead Khan has, as usual, opted for the softer, easier option: by setting up another unwanted, costly ‘commission’. 

As London mayor, Khan could start a commission looking into moving London to Mars or the feasibility of building a bridge to Norway. Just ‘looking into’ something is straightforward and carries with it no consequence. They are a way of seeming like you’re doing something in politics without doing anything at all. It’s all very on brand for Sadiq.

To make matters worse, the mayor of London has no power to decriminalise drugs. Khan isn’t stupid: he knows this perfectly well. Which means this is just a big stunt; a strange sort of virtue signalling to the metropolitan hash heads across our nation’s capital.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in