A Tory minister said Cannabis should be legal in Britain because Queen Victoria used it.
The Telegraph reports Margaret Thatcher's former trade minister Peter Lilley spoke in front of MPs debating about the legalization of Cannabis on Monday and brought up a little bit of history.
"Even Queen Victoria allegedly used cannabis to relieve menstrual pain," Lilley said. "If it's a Victorian value then surely it can be made more widely available."
The queen who reigned from 1876 to 1901 was reportedly prescribed with medicinal cannabis by her doctor to ease menstrual cramps.
Lilley added the country should "give people the moral responsibility" and "should not hide behind largely spurious and bogus health concerns."
"Lots of things are morally wrong which are not against the law. Adultery is wrong. I think you shouldn't betray one's spouse, but you shouldn't be put in jail if you do," he continued. "We've got to get used to the idea that in a free country there will be lots of moral decisions that people have to make themselves without being told by the law what to do."
Cannabis was made illegal in Britain years after Queen Victoria's death. In 1928, an international drugs conference was held in Geneva and an Egyptian delegate was able to convince other officials that Cannabis was dangerous.
Despite being considered as a Class B drug, many people have continued smoking the herb for medicinal and recreational use.
"[Cannabis has] been tried and tested by tens of millions of people for 5,000 years," Labour MP Paul Flynn said at the parliament debate in Westminster Hall. "If there were any problems with natural cannabis it would have been apparent a long time ago, but all we've got is this wall of denial by governments who are afraid of the subject."
The debate was held after 221,000 people signed a petition for the legalization of production, sale and use of cannabis.
