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.
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53 Responses to “Majority want cannabis legalised or decriminalised”
Mick
It’s no good blaming the likes of Jews and Christians when they (and others) know that pot use will just add to drug problems. It’s been known to cause brain damage, liver damage and a greater risk of cancer than cigarettes.
And the MORI website actually says that “The majority still believe that the possession of illegal drugs should remain a criminal offence. ”
http://www.debatepolitics.com/europe/81507-call-licensed-cannabis-sales-2.html#post1058992284
Mick
It probably will when lying articles like this are spread. If you look at the MORI page itself, you will ACTUALLY discover that people want the laws to stay as they are: http://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/SRI_Transform_poll_drugs.pdf
Mind, I wouldn’t mind greater research into controlled medical pot myself.
Mick
‘blinkered arrogance…. ridiculous ‘war on drugs’…’
Maybe you’re suffering from a touch of it yourself? To me, it looks like all druggies are the same to you and that there’s no point in protecting people from harm. Which, is hypocritical on the part of many lefties also wanting ciggies banned!
As I said to Peter Reynolds, look at the MORI page itself rather than Labour and you’ll find politicians can sometimes be quite right. (But I wouldn’t blame you for missing that – we did have 12 years of Labour, followed by Lib-Dems sharing Tory power.)
Mick
Well, the Mexican president said that pot was a gateway drug to stuff like that.
And boy, would the Mexican president know a thing or two about drug problems!
Mick
Yeah, medical. (Which to my knowledge is also illegal outside the lab.)
We’re apparently talking tokers doing it because part of the buzz is breaking the law. Aren’t there enough social problems with alcohol? Many left-wingers believe the latter should be banned yet not the former. I think it’s just rebellion for its own sake here, as the MORIpage itself directly contradicts all in this ‘article’.
http://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/Polls/SRI_Transform_poll_drugs.pdf
Though, I suppose, other drug takers can be a whole new class of person: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255328/Homeless-drug-users-SLEEPING-inside-graves-pushing-stones-tombs.html