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Politicians have rejected a proposition which would have decriminalised cannabis for personal use by one vote.
States Members today voted to reject part of a proposition by Deputy Tom Coles – with 22 votes for, 23 against and one abstention.
If approved, Part A of the proposition would have decriminalised the personal possession and recreational use of cannabis in the island.
However, Parts B and C of Deputy Coles' proposition were approved – with 26 votes for, 19 against and one abstention.
Part B requested that the Council of Ministers bring forward cannabis legislation for debate in the States Assembly by November 2025, whilst Part C requested that funding for this legislative framework is incorporated within the Government Plan 2025-2028.
Pictured: The changes put forward in a proposition from Deputy Tom Coles would mean decriminalising the personal possession and recreational use of cannabis.
The original proposition was lodged by Deputy Coles last month – but the final version had amendments from the Council of Ministers, Deputy Inna Gardiner, and Deputy Alex Curtis among others.
Deputy Coles' proposition called for the personal possession and recreational use of cannabis to be decriminalised for those aged 18 and over by November 2025.
Decriminalisation means that the drug would still be illegal but someone could not be prosecuted or criminalised for carrying a small amount.
The States Assembly voted to REJECT Part A, and APPROVE Parts B and C of Deputy Tom Coles’ proposition, as amended by himself, the Council of Ministers, Deputy @AlexCurtisJsy and Deputy @innagardiner (as amended by the Minister for Health and Social Services).
— States Assembly - Jersey's elected parliament (@StatesAssembly) June 26, 2024
Part A - 22 votes… https://t.co/9ivYRgCguL
In an amendment to his own proposition, Deputy Coles later expanded the proposals to include all ages in order to avoid creating a "status offence" that would only criminalise cannabis users under the age of 18.
While Deputy Coles wanted the legislation to be in place by November 2025, the Government wanted more time to explore a wider range of options, such as legalising or regulating cannabis.
In an amendment, the Council of Ministers argued that “effective, safe legislation cannot be delivered within a November 2025 time frame”.
Pictured: Deputy Inna Gardiner called for all cannabis products to be classified as Class B drugs.
Other politicians filed amendments to address the classification of certain cannabis products.
Deputy Inna Gardiner suggested updating what she called "archaic" drug laws that currently categorise some cannabis extracts, including cannabis oil – often used for medical reasons – at the same level as heroin.
Deputy Gardiner proposed that Jersey’s laws should be aligned with those of the UK, where all cannabis products are given Class B status.
Building on this, Health Minister Tom Binet put forward an amendment to extend decriminalisation to include cannabinol and its derivatives.
He proposed reclassifying these substances from Class A to Class B controlled drugs, after consultation with the Misuse of Drugs Advisory Council.
Pictured: Deputy Alex Curtis wanted to add "personal cultivation" to the list of activities to be decriminalised.
Meanwhile, Deputy Alex Curtis wanted to include "personal cultivation" in the list of activities to be decriminalised including possession and recreational use.
In his amendment, he argued that this would prevent people from being criminalised for growing cannabis that, once dried, would be legal to possess and consume.
Islanders can contact the Alcohol and Drugs Service on 445000 for advice and support on cannabis use.
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