A petition demanding the legalization of marijuana in the United Kingdom is set to be discussed by lawmakers after it obtained more than 100,000 signatures online.
The petition calls for the country's parliament to make “the production, sale and use of cannabis legal.”
“Legalizing cannabis could bring in £900 million [$1.4 billion] in taxes every year, save £400 million [$623 million] on policing cannabis and create over 10,000 new jobs,” it claims.
Through its Petitions Committee, the British government has agreed to officially respond to any that reach 10,000 signatures and to consider debate in parliament at 100,000.
By 10:30 a.m. ET on Monday, the marijuana petition had received 158,000 signatures. The Petitions Committee is due to meet in September. Its 11 members can schedule any petition deemed suitable for up to three hours of debate by lawmakers.
Under U.K. law, possession of cannabis can result in penalties of up to 5 years in prison.
