Spain is a backwards country as far as drug legislation that not only upholds an obsolete law (the Corcuera Law) but toughens it to discourage its citizens and increase revenue in the form of fines. However, in other places in the world like Uruguay, Washington and Colorado, the scene paints another picture. In the US, change is moving much faster than we think. In fact, legalisation is inevitable there.

After the majority support for legalisation shown in a mid-2012 survey (56% of people in the US in favour), political analysts have started debating with 2016 in their sights, the year of the presidential elections. Many wonder how the ‘marijuana issue’ will affect not only the elections but the democratic primaries as there is an undeniable fact: younger people, who increasingly encompass a larger electoral base, have a much more positive opinion about marijuana than previous generations. In fact, the PEW Research Centre published a graph base on a recent survey that clearly shows the change in generational sensitivity regarding cannabis.

Graph from Policymic

It shows that, starting in the 90s, marijuana acceptance has grown substantially among all generations and especially among ‘millennials’, those born between ’81 and ’96. In this range, 69 per cent support legalisation. The only generation that opposes marijuana legalisation is the ‘silent’ generation, with 70 per cent against. However, the youngest people in this group are now 69. 

This graph is really meaningful in a week that has seen the annual meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of the UN in Vienna. Many Latin American countries have called for a change in international drug policies, arguing that prohibition has proven simply ineffective over the last 50 years. Despite being far from supporting possible legalisation, the UN for the first time has openly expressed support for the decriminalisation of consumption. However, the change that is occurring in the United States will be decisive because it is one of the countries with the most influence in the international arena and one of the drivers of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, which is still the main instrument of the UN’s drug control system, despite the doubts it has generated.

 

CND poster from tdpg

The Spanish State should take itself seriously in the generational and international transition. In Spain, 2 per cent of the population between 15 and 64 consume cannabis daily, while 7.6 per cent has consumed cannabis in the last month. This figure increases, according to WHO study, to 16 per cent if we only consider 15 year olds, leading the world only behind Canada. 

Moreover, 80 per cent of those convicted of drug trafficking in Spain are for cases of cannabis. According to study of cannabis consumption associations, if the State legalised marijuana, it could raise around 177 million euros in taxes alone, while generating 38,000 jobs, not including the money that would be saved in arrests, prosecutions and incarcerations.

The Government still resists the obvious and inevitable with backward laws, which instead of looking out for the public health and welfare, increase the minimum penalty for marijuana possession by 300 per cent – from 300 to 1,001 euros – in addition to eliminating the possibility of substituting the fine with detoxification treatment. The ‘millennials’ will take charge, not only to repeal them, but to legalise cannabis. 

With information from policymic, multaspordrogas, el espectador, el mundo and libremercado.