THE Health Minister has said he will do all he can to support a campaigner’s call for regulated trials of recreational cannabis in Jersey – if it aligns with States decisions.
Deputy Tom Binet has said he would back Charlotte Caldwell’s proposed plan for the governments of the British Isles to run controlled recreational pilots providing it married with the will of the States Assembly.
At the end of last year, Deputy Binet brought proposals to the Assembly that would have significantly changed the Island’s cannabis laws.
One option Members were asked to consider included charging the Health Minister with coming up with detailed proposals to set up a government-approved trial to grow and sell non-medical cannabis “to understand and evidence whether safe and responsible regulation delivers public health benefits”.
However, Deputy Binet pulled the proposal before it was debated after receiving feedback that the options set out needed to be clearer.
Now, Ms Caldwell – whose son Billy’s case led to the legalisation of medical cannabis in the UK – is launching a campaign for trials to take place in the UK, as well as Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
Launched yesterday in London, her campaign has already secured the backing of Guernsey Deputy Chief Minister Gavin St Pier.
Ms Caldwell became a household name fighting for her epileptic son’s right to access cannabis medication. Her campaign culminated in the UK government’s landmark rescheduling of cannabis-based medicines in November 2018. Billy has now been seizure-free for three years.
Her latest initiative, called ‘TRACD’ calls for pilot studies – open to people aged 21 and above “with a verified clean bill of mental health” – to receive controlled amounts of regulated cannabis products and have regular health monitoring.
Ms Caldwell has visited Jersey on several occasions and has previously said that the Island has a “unique opportunity” to lead the world by creating one clear route for patients who need cannabis as a medicine, and another “heavily controlled” programme for those who use it recreationally.
Although Deputy Binet said he had not seen details of Ms Caldwell’s latest campaign, he added: “I have met with Charlotte a number of times: she is very enthusiastic and doing good work. We’re going to do what we can to support it.
“I’ve just got to work with Charlotte to check the extent to which her plans align with the States. If we find that they do, I’ll be very happy to progress that work.”
The States Assembly has already agreed that laws and policies around the use of recreational cannabis should be drafted. In 2024, Members backed a call from Deputy Tom Coles for the government to bring forward fresh legislation around cannabis regulation by last November.
Deputy Binet’s withdrawn proposition was in response to that deadline but, when explaining in January why he was pulling his plan, the Health Minister said he was confident that the matter would return to the political agenda following June’s election, regardless of who held that role.
Medicinal cannabis can already be prescribed in Jersey; however, concerns have been raised that a secondary market has developed, with people illegally selling on surplus quantities to recreational users.
Deputy Binet has said that introducing rules around recreational use would end that uncontrolled resale market.
