A majority of the public want cannabis legalised or decriminalised, including a majority of Conservative and Labour voters.
Most British people want cannabis legalised or decriminalised and two thirds want a comprehensive review of drugs policy, according to a new poll by Ipsos MORI.
Over half the public (53%) support the legalisation or decriminalisation of the possession of cannabis, and only 1 in 7 believe in tougher penalties and more money being spent on enforcement for cannabis offences.
Interestingly the survey, which sampled 946 adults between January 25 and February 5, also looked at attitudes to drugs based on newspaper readership and found some surprising results.
It found that 45% of mid-market newspaper readers (including readers of the Daily Mail and the Express) support the legalisation of cannabis, and just one in five (17%) support heavier penalties and more money spent on enforcement.
Among tabloid readers the figures were 47% and 20% respectively.
According to the data, 61% of Daily Mail readers want a full review of drug policy.
Surprisingly perhaps, 70% of Conservative supporters compared to 69% of Labour supporters believe a full review of all the drug policy options is required.
A spokesperson from drugs think tank Transform said the results show how far ahead of politicians the public are.
“Politicians have repeated their ‘tough on drugs’ propaganda for so long that they assume the public are more fearful of change than they really are. In fact the world has changed, and the public are far more progressive than was thought, right across the political spectrum.
53 Responses to “Majority want cannabis legalised or decriminalised”
Mick ('Potted' Entertainer)
Well that’s a mercy. I was worried for a minute you may have learned something! 😀
Wooderson
Question: If heroin was legalised tomorrow, would you go out and take it?
Mick
I think you can guess what I wouldn’t do. Especially as leftists haven’t gotten around to saying heroin’s safer than potatoes or Calpol yet.
Wooderson
The point i’m making is I doubt use would go up much if it was legalised. And there’s no need to be childish and implicate the left in every statement you make. I just don’t see why it’s such a big deal to you if you don’t even smoke it. Also, I’d like to quote you here, ‘And when I was working in retail, I came face to face with many druggies, many violent, many ruined, typically criminal.’ Other than being hilarious and ridiculous it’s quite stereotypical, do you not think?
flux5000
Funny ‘eh, I mean, what the hell is a ‘lefty obsessed’ person when he/she is at home? And how the hell does that Darren know your stature?!