SADIQ KHAN has pledged to establish a London Drugs Commission if he wins mayoral elections this May.

Khan has spoken out against the illegal drugs trade in the UK and called it damaging to the health of Londoners’.

The mayor said the trade was “ravaging communities, driving an increase in organised and violent crime and criminalising too many young people.”

In the UK, the illegal drugs trade is estimated to cost society £19 billion per year. Last year, 41,900 people across England and Wales were charged with drugs-related offences.    

The new commission is expected to include independent experts and leading figures from the fields of criminal justice, public health, politics, community relations and academia. 

Through collating the latest evidence on UK drugs laws, police enforcement and support services for those with addictions, Khan claims the commission will examine the latest evidence from around the world.

It will then report to the London mayor with policy recommendations for City Hall, the government, the police, the criminal justice system and health and addiction support services. 

The recommendations will focus on the most effective ways to ensure violent and drug-related crimes, and the harm cannabis can cause to individuals, communities and addicts, is tackled. 

Khan said: “It’s time for fresh ideas about how to reduce the harms drugs and drug-related crimes cause to individuals, families and communities. 

“The illegal drugs trade causes huge damage to our society – driving serious and violent crime, damaging people’s health and criminalising too many young people.  

 “That’s why, if I’m re-elected, I will establish a new London Drugs Commission comprised of independent experts to examine the latest evidence from around the world.

“The commission will make recommendations focusing on the most effective laws to tackle crime, protect Londoners’ health and reduce the huge damage that illegal drugs, including cannabis, cause to our communities and society.”