A new poll by The Times has found that 47% of the Scottish public support Cannabis legalisation for adult use. This figure compares to just 37% of those against legalisation, and 17% who are ‘unsure’.
The results are similar to those of a poll carried out in the whole of the UK, in July. The survey by the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group found that 48% of respondents supported legalising Cannabis for adults.
Political Affiliation
The survey also recorded the political affiliation of respondents. Those who voted for the Scottish National Party were the most likely to support Cannabis legalisation, with 59% of these voters backing policy reform. This compares to 45% of Labour voters, 44% of Liberal Democrat voters, and just 34% of Conservative voters.
Cannabis Use
When looking at Cannabis use in the UK, the Conservative Drug Policy Reform froup found that a third of their 1,690 respondents had tried Cannabis in the past. In comparison, the Scottish poll found that 78% of respondents had previously used Cannabis.
Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in most countries around the world, with the UK being no exception. The Times survey also indicated that Cannabis users were the least likely to develop substance abuse problems from the drug.
Support for Cannabis legalisation has been on the rise in the UK, over the last few years. The percentage of those in support of reform increased by 5% compared to the previous year. July’s survey also found that 77% of respondents believed that medical Cannabis should be legal.
Political Opinion
Public opinion seems to have also crossed over into the political sphere. In 2017, the Liberal Democrats added Cannabis legalisation to their manifesto. Sir Normal Lamb, joined by a Labour and a Conservative MP recently flew to Canada, to learn about their legal Cannabis framework. On their return, the cross-party MPs predicted that Cannabis would be legal in the UK in the next 5-10 years.
