politics.co.uk poll reveals anger at cannabis law

Wednesday, 11 March 2009 12:01 AM

By politics.co.uk staff

There is a substantial amount of anger over the government's decision to reclassify cannabis, a politics.co.uk poll suggests.

The poll, which comes as government minister from across the world meet in Vienna for the UN's summit on drugs, shows a deep split in public opinion over how to proceed with narcotics legislation.

Asked if drugs should be legalised, just under 50 per cent of respondents answered 'yes', while 37 per cent said 'no'.

But opinions on the reclassification of cannabis were far clearer.

Thirteen per cent of users agreed with the decision, compared to 87 per cent who said they 'disagreed' or 'strongly disagreed'.

The government recently implemented the change to cannabis, bringing it back up to class B after former home secretary David Blunkett expended considerable political capital downgrading it to class C in 2003.

But the poll showed considerably less sympathy towards calls from the government's own Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to downgrade ecstasy.

Over 50 per cent of users said they disagreed with the decision, while 37 per cent agreed.

Asked what they thought of current UK drugs policy, politics.co.uk users appeared to take a liberal stance. Sixty-two per cent of users said current policy was too authoritarian. That compared to 25 per cent, who said it was too lenient.

Tags:
• domestic policy
,
• drugs
,
• policing and crime