# List of British politicians who have acknowledged cannabis use

Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants with species that have long been used for fibre (hemp), for medicinal purposes, and as a drug. Industrial hemp products are made from cannabis plants selected to produce an abundance of fiber and minimal levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive molecule that produces the "high" associated with cannabis as a drug.

## Pre-prohibition

Cannabis may have been known in Britain as far back as the Bronze Age (ca. 2800 BP) when pieces of textiles and string were found at a site at St. Andrews in Scotland. Microscopic inspection showed that the fibres of these items appeared to have several different characteristics to those of flax.
The first hard evidence of hemp in England are seeds that have been identified as cannabis sativa found in a Roman well in York. Palynologists then find an increasing pollen curve in sediments, dating from the early Saxon period and peaking between 800 AD and 1200 AD. Hemp cultivation was widespread and appears to have been concentrated around the coastal areas of Britain which would indicate its importance for making nets, sail-cloth and rope.
However, to satisfy the increased demand for rope and sailcloth for King Henry VIII's new navy, he decreed (1533) that all landholders set aside one-quarter acre for the cultivation of flax or hemp for every sixty acres of land that they tilled in order to provide the necessary fibre. Queen Elizabeth I reintroduced the law (1563 AD) to expand her navy and imposes a £5 fine for any eligible landlord who failed to comply. From then on the demand increased and the hemp industry became very important to the British economy. Indeed, it was their need to improve the supply of this strategic raw commodity that come the 1630s the British sped up their colonization of the new world.
Furthermore, cannabis also became an important medicine. There are claims that Queen Victoria took tincture of Cannabis to ease the pain of childbirth but these have been disputed.
| Name | Name | Lifetime | Notable positions held | Party | Ref. |
| | David Urquhart | 1805–1877 | Member of Parliament | Independent | |

### Parties

Independent

## Legislation

In order that Britain could ratify international treaties which it signed up to, it added tincture of cannabis to the list of drugs which already required an importation or exportation licence, granted by the Home Secretary. This took the form of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1920 (10 & 11 Geo. 5. c. 46).
Secondary legislation was introduced to ensure better standardization and quality of cannabis tincture. This was achieved by tight legislative control over sourcing the raw materials, processing and distribution. An effect of this control was to restrict the use of tincture to purposes that were strictly medical or scientific. Other forms of cannabis were not affected.
One of the regulations to maintain quality is briefly alluded to by Maud Grieve in her book A Modern Herbal, where she mentions in the section about Indian Hemp that "two-year-old ganja is almost inert, and the law requires it to be burnt in the presence of excise officers."
The League of Nations was put in charge of international drug control after World War One. Cannabis was not initially subject to international control but was controlled as part of the 1925 Geneva Opium Conventions. Control came about due to the local situation in Egypt and the desire of the new leaders of the country to embarrass their former British rulers by claiming that its use had led to widespread insanity. Due to its importance as a medicine and its other industrial uses, this proposal was reduced to prohibiting the unlicensed possession of cannabis. Britain ratified this agreement by amending the Dangerous Drugs Act 1920 with the Dangerous Drugs Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 74) which added some other of cannabis hitherto ignored. Namely, cannabis resin, cannabis oil (hash oil), cannabis leaf, flower-heads and the raw plant itself. However, whole seeds, seed oil (hemp oil) and fibre are not included. They can still be used for baiting fish, feeding birds, cooking, making strong ropes and high quality paper. In order that the government could avoid paying out compensation, enforcement of the act was delayed until 1928, thus giving people time to legitimately dispose of their stock which contravenes the new Bill.
Following the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961) the cultivation of cannabis ceased in the UK.
Cannabis tincture was finally removed from the British National Formulary in 1971 by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

## During prohibition

These are the politicians that have admitted to recreational use following prohibition include, Members of Parliament, Secretaries of State and other Ministers, Peers, and Mayors as well as members of devolved legislatures.
Key :
* Conservative       Labour       SNP       Liberal Democrats       Plaid Cymru |
| Name | Lifetime | Notable positions held | Party |
| Peter Ainsworth | 1956–2021 | Shadow Secretary of State | Conservative |
| Hazel Blears | b. 1956 | Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government | Labour |
| Andy Burnham | b. 1970 | Secretary of State for Health Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport | Labour |
| David Cameron | b. 1966 | Foreign Secretary from 2023 to 2024 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 Leader of the Opposition from 2005 to 2010 Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016 | Conservative |
| Charles Clarke | b. 1950 | Home Secretary | Labour |
| James Cleverly | b. 1969 | Home Secretary Foreign Secretary Secretary of State for Education Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union | Conservative |
| Vernon Coaker | b. 1953 | Minister of State for Schools | Labour |
| Yvette Cooper | b. 1969 | Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Chief Secretary to the Treasury Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee | Labour |
| Bruce Crawford | b. 1955 | Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy | SNP |
| Alistair Darling, Baron Darling of Roulanish | 1953–2023 | Chancellor of the Exchequer | Labour |
| Ruth Davidson | b. 1978 | Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party | Conservative |
| Fergus Ewing | b. 1957 | Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity | SNP |
| Michael Fabricant | b. 1950 | Lord Commissioner of the Treasury Member of Parliament | Conservative |
| Caroline Flint | b. 1961 | Minister of State for Europe | Labour |
| Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde | b. 1960 | Leader of the House of Lords Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | Conservative |
| Matt Hancock | b. 1978 | Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | Conservative |
| Harriet Harman | b. 1950 | Leader of the House of Commons | Labour |
| Patricia Hewitt | b. 1948 | Secretary of State for Health Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills | Labour |
| Jeremy Hunt | b. 1966 | Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Secretary of State for Health and Social Care | Conservative |
| John Hutton, Baron Hutton of Furness | b. 1955 | Secretary of State for Defence | Labour |
| Fiona Hyslop | b. 1964 | Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning | SNP |
| Bernard Jenkin | b. 1959 | Shadow Secretary of State for Defence | Conservative |
| Boris Johnson | b. 1964 | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022 Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2018 Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016 | Conservative |
| Jon Owen Jones | b. 1954 | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of the Welsh Office | Labour |
| Ruth Kelly | b. 1968 | Secretary of State for Transport Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Secretary of State for Education and Skills | Labour |
| Liz Kendall | b. 1971 | Shadow Minister for Care and Older People | Labour |
| Sadiq Khan | b. 1970 | Mayor of London Member of Parliament Minister of State for Transport Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Shadow Lord Chancellor | Labour |
| Stephen Kinnock | b. 1970 | Member of Parliament | Labour |
| Susan Kramer, Baroness Kramer | b. 1950 | Minister of State for Transport | Liberal Democrat |
| Norman Lamont, Baron Lamont of Lerwick | b. 1942 | Chancellor of the Exchequer | Conservative |
| Andrea Leadsom | b. 1963 | Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Conservative |
| Oliver Letwin | b. 1956 | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Shadow Home Secretary | Conservative |
| Tricia Marwick | b. 1953 | Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament | SNP |
| Francis Maude, Baron Maude of Horsham | b. 1953 | Minister for the Cabinet Office Minister of State for Trade and Investment | Conservative |
| Stewart Maxwell | b. 1963 | Minister for Communities and Sport | SNP |
| Tony McNulty | b. 1958 | Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform | Labour |
| Esther McVey | b. 1967 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | Conservative |
| Mo Mowlam | 1949–2005 | Leader of the House of Lords Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Labour |
| Archie Norman | b. 1954 | Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions | Conservative |
| Dominic Raab | b. 1974 | Deputy Prime Minister First Secretary of State Foreign Secretary Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union | Conservative |
| Shona Robison | b. 1966 | Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport | SNP |
| Jacqui Smith | b. 1962 | Home Secretary | Labour |
| Nicola Sturgeon | b. 1970 | First Minister of Scotland | SNP |
| Jo Swinson | b. 1980 | Leader of the Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrat |
| Matthew Taylor, Baron Taylor of Goss Moor | b. 1963 | Liberal Democrats Treasury Spokesman | Liberal Democrat |
| Chuka Umunna | b. 1978 | Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills | Liberal Democrat |
| David Willetts, Baron Willetts | b. 1956 | Minister of State for Universities and Science | Conservative |
| Leanne Wood | b. 1971 | Member of the National Assembly for Wales | Plaid Cymru |
| Tim Yeo | b. 1945 | Shadow Secretary of State | Conservative |