Should London legalise cannabis?

Dear Londoners — welcome to your first Monday briefing of June. We hope you had a good weekend. The good weather is, finally, back, although our wallets aren't particularly happy about it. One of the more curious things about this city is how much more everything seems to cost when the sun comes out. Just last week, for instance, one of our team saw an ice-cream van on South Bank unashamedly selling a Fruit Pastilles lolly for £6... Stay vigilant out there!

And now, on to your round-up of everything you need to know about in the capital this week, ft. the suspension of the vice-chancellor of the University of London, the women of the Garrick Club and a Soho-favourite restaurant. Enjoy!

Big story: Could cannabis be legalised in the capital?

Context: Sadiq Khan has backed the partial decriminalisation of cannabis after the results of a three-year study questioned its enforcement under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The report recommended that small amounts of natural forms of the drug, intended for personal use, should no longer be criminalised, although producing and supplying the drug should remain an offence.

About the report: The findings came from a report published by an independent commission into cannabis regulation, a manifesto promise made by the mayor back in his 2021 election campaign.

Cannabis’ status as a class B drug was more harmful to society than it was to its users, the report stated, and the legal consequences for those who have negligible amounts in their personal possession “cannot be justified”.

Who's affected by this?  The report specifically highlighted the way in which the criminalisation of cannabis feeds into the disproportionate impact of stop-and-search policing on black communities. Figures from 2021 show that black people are nine times more likely to be subject to a stop and search by police, despite being no more likely to be carrying it.

The situation in the capital: Use of the drug has fallen significantly in London over the past few decades. In 2001–2, the proportion of 16-59 year olds who had used cannabis in the past year was 14.3% — whereas in 2022–23, it had fallen to 6.2%, a decrease that far outstrips the national average. 

Will it happens? Probably not. The mayor has no power to alter the law around drugs. That power resides with the government, who said they have “no intention of reclassifying cannabis”. 

London in brief

🎓 The vice-chancellor of the University of London (UoL), Professor Wendy Thompson, has been suspended after allegations emerged of bullying and poor leadership. The university’s leadership confirmed to the Standard that the board had unanimously agreed to suspend her pending the outcome of an independent investigation. UoL consists of 17 member institutions, including King’s College London, University College London, Birkbeck and Goldsmiths.  

✈️ Government plans to modernise the UK’s airspace infrastructure means that thousands more flights will be able to take off and land at London’s airports. But those responsible for planning admitted that redesigning the flightpaths above the capital will result in “winners and losers”, with thousands of residents set to be affected by increased noise and pollution.

🚇 Sadiq Khan has intervened to reverse a TfL ban on adverts calling for the decriminalisation of abortion in the UK. Despite being approved by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the campaign from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service — which centred around the stories of real women who have been investigated by the police and even prosecuted after an abortion or pregnancy loss — was not allowed to run as it “did not comply with TfL advertising policy because it made negative references about the police”. The mayor has now ordered an urgent review.

🚣 A war is brewing between Regent’s Canal residents and boat firm GoBoat after the latter applied for a license to sell alcohol aboard its new skippered fleet. Alcohol sales by the company were previously banned after complaints from the local community, who argued that, “on multiple occasions, individuals urinated on my boat, engaged in drug use, and exhibited inappropriate behaviour such as public nudity.”

♀️ After a rule change that saw women able to be admitted to the previously all-male Garrick Club for the first time, there are now apparently a whopping three female members at the ultra-elite members’ club.

Got a story for us to look into? Please get in touch.

Catch-up

• El Hunt investigated one of the capital’s most intriguing street signs: “Prohibited street: no itinerant ice cream sales”. The result is a deep dive into Greenwich’s long simmering ice-cream war, where the council have spent around £47,000 to prevent one van from trading.
• Londoner editor Hannah Williams brought you the second instalment of our culture edition ft. the strangest launch party in the capital, the comeback of a disgraced art gallery bigshot and warring West End divas.
• Staff writer Miles Ellingham went to the Brandon Estate, dubbed “the deadliest estate in Britain”, to find out what its residents think of its reputation — and discovers a complex web of interconnected stories.

Wining and dining

With endless offerings and non-stop openings, we all know that deciding where to eat and drink in the capital can be fraught. We want to make it easy — so every week we’ll give you our insider guide to the city’s best spots. This week, our editor Hannah shares her favourite spots.

One perfect meal: London’s food trends change fast. One week, it’s clay pot Thai that seems to dominate the openings; the next, it’s contemporary Ukrainian. It’s part of what makes the capital’s culinary scene so exciting, but occasionally it can be a little overwhelming when you’ve arranged last minute dinner plans — and you’re the one tasked with choosing the restaurant. 

The requirements are always thus: central location, nice atmosphere, not wildly expensive, pescatarian friendly. My go-to is Ducksoup, a natural wine bar and small plates spot that’s slap bang in the middle of Soho (☑); has a soft-glow, scrubbed-wood intimacy (☑); isn’t too far north of £40 per head for a few sharing plates and a glass of wine (☑); and always has at least four or five non-meat plates on the menu (☑). But above all else, the food and wine are reliably excellent — the menu changes with the seasons, but at the moment we'd go for the chargrilled onions, salted cheese, orange, pistachio and oregano, alongside a plate of cuttlefish, datterini, chickpeas and pangrattato.

One perfect pint: I first discovered the Jackalope entirely by mistake, having decided to avoid the fumes of Portland Place and wander down the mews streets that stitch Oxford Street to Marylebone. Stood on an otherwise entirely residential cobbled thoroughfare, the pub is a handsome, late-19th century affair, straight-backed and proper. Inside, it’s pleasantly traditional, with wooden panels and a wrap-around bar that bulges like an over-tight waistband. Owned by Bloomsbury Leisure, who also run the beloved Euston Tap, the Jackalope is serious about its beer selection, with 14 options currently on offer. In the pub’s cellar there’s also Xiao Mian, an excellent noodle soup spot whose dishes, it turns out, are the perfect antidote to several pints of Theakston’s. 

But what really sets the pub apart is its people-watching opportunities, which are among the best in London: BBC staffers, Harley Street doctors, luxury hotel workers, well-heeled locals — in the tradition of the capital’s best watering holes, the Jackalope has them all.

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Our favourite reads

Can South by Southwest’s London debut recreate Austin’s star-making power? — Lanre Bakare, Guardian

There’s been much buzz around the arrival of SXSW to the capital. Launched in Texas in the 1980s, the original festival is now one of the world’s biggest showcases for music, film and tech. But can London’s version compete? And do we want it to? Bakare tries to find an answer.

The Cockney Accent Is Fading, but This Dish Is Here to Stay — Demi Perera, New York Times

In a world of endless culinary delights available at the touch of a button, how do you ensure the longevity of pie and mash, London’s traditional fast food? Perera meets the people campaigning for the dish to be given government protection.

To Do List

• The Bridge Theatre’s much-loved, much-acclaimed spin on A Midsummer Night’s Dream is back for summer. Last staged in 2019, the production casts Shakespeare’s play as a whirlwind immersive experience, all frenzy and fairy-dust. 
• The off-kilter modernism of mid-century Italian painter Luigi Zuccheri arrives at Sylvia Kouvali’s Bond Street gallery. Come for the beautiful, eerie landscapes, stay for the giant chicken.

From the archive

In the 1970s, the local authority of Kensington and Chelsea erected a permanent site for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people under the Westway in North Kensington, who still live there today. This archive footage gives us a historical insight into Londoners' perception of GRT people, which, unfortunately, probably hasn't changed very much.