CALLS from the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner to legalise cannabis for medicinal use have been slammed by a Welsh conservative.

In a letter to Clwyd West AM Darren Millar, North Wales commissioner Arfon Jones requests backing for an All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform who are spearheading a drive to legalise medicinal cannabis.

Mr Millar has criticised the move as ‘reckless’ and which may encourage a ‘laissez faire’ attitude to drugs in the north Wales area.

However, Mr Jones, a former police inspector from Harlech, said his views on the issue are shared by many other commissioners in the UK.

He said: “I issued the letter in support of a call by my colleague, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Durham, Ron Hogg, a former deputy chief constable, for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use only.

“The debate around drug policy has moved on considerably in recent years and the view that cannabis for medicinal purposes should be legalised is not only held by me but is shared by many Commissioners of all political hues.

“My stance on drugs is a matter of record and was a part of my manifesto when I was seeking election as Commissioner, an election that I won with a significant majority.

“Illness can be an isolating experience, especially if your medicine is illegal and it surely wrong that people seeking relief from suffering should be criminalised for using cannabis to treat their illnesses.”

Mr Miller said legalising cannabis will only contribute to making problems with addiction worse.

He said: “Cannabis, whether used for medicinal or recreational purposes, is a dangerous substance and would have catastrophic consequence to health and society if it was ever legalised.

Read the full story in this week’s north editions of the Cambrian News