Sadiq Khan's 'ridiculous' calls to decriminalise cannabis scolded by Susan Hall: 'Completely dopey!'

Khan urged ministers to consider the proposals despite the national Labour Party's opposition to changing drug laws.

He said: "We must recognise that better education, improved healthcare and more effective, equitable policing of cannabis use are long overdue."

Criticising Khan's calls, Susan Hall told GB News: "It's completely dopey, it's ridiculous. It's typical of Sadiq Khan. If you talk to the commissioner, Mark Rowley, he hasn't asked for this.

"He's asking for more money so he can try and get some sort of order on our streets. This is utterly ridiculous, and I think the commission has cost over a quarter of a million pounds. That money could have gone into the policing service in London."

Citing a section of the report which claims that small amounts should "be allowed but not sold", Hall questioned how police officers are going to be able to tell the difference between personal possession and possession to sell.

Hall explained: "It is about 350 pages this report, and it says that small amounts should be allowed, but you're not allowed to sell it.

"Well, if a police officer stops somebody and they've got a smallish amount of drugs with them, how does that police officer know if that person's going to sell it, or whether they're using it for their own use?"

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She added: "At the end of the day, if you look at knife crime, which is rife, a third of all knife crime in the country in England and Wales is in London, we need to be concentrating on things that are actually a real harm to Londoners and not tinkering around the edges.

"It's just press he wants really, he is a ridiculous man."

Stressing the connection of drugs to an increase in crime and burglary, Hall told GB News that what Khan is suggesting is "total nonsense".

Hall said: "The commissioner will tell you, it increases crimes like shoplifting and burglary. There's real connections to it, whereas there isn't with alcohol. If you look at county lines where kids are getting into real trouble, it's all over drugs.

"And they do say that the softer drugs lead to harder drugs, we all know where that goes. So if the Government wants to look at a complete look at the whole thing, what Sadiq Khan is suggesting here is total nonsense."

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has strongly opposed the decriminalisation plans, warning of potential consequences based on international examples.

Philp said: "Possession of cannabis should not be decriminalised like this. We have seen some US and Canadian cities devastated by soft policies on addictive and harmful drugs - now Sadiq Khan wants to send London the same way."

He accused Khan of being "more interested in politically correct posturing for the benefit of his left-wing friends than he is making London a safe and nice place", adding: "I completely oppose these plans."