Changing perceptions of the UK drug laws

The past few weeks have seen a number of the country’s most respected experts come out with critical comments regarding the current drug policies in the UK. The most recent statement by Sir Ian Gilmore, departing president of the Royal College of Physicians, outlined his view of the failure of the UK’s drug policy to the 25,000 RCP members.  In his e-mail, Sir Ian wrote: "I personally back the chairman of the UK Bar Council, Nicholas Green QC, when he calls for drug laws to be reconsidered with a view to decriminalising illicit drugs use. This could drastically reduce crime and improve health". His echoing of Nicholas Greens comments follow a long line of experts who have come out against the successive government’s policy.

These statements echo a wider change in the public’s perception towards the UK’s current drug policies, the failure of which is now being recognised on a scale unknown in this country. In looking into these changing attitudes it is worth comparing some of the early polls regarding drug regulation and legalisation in the UK conducted in the 1990’s with today’s public opinion.

While in the late 1990’s, drug policy reform issues in the public domain were largely centred on reforming the cannabis laws, support for reform was still relatively small. An Ipsos-Mori poll in 1997 asking “what should the law on cannabis be”, saw 17% calling for cannabis to remain illegal while the same number wanted legalisation (albeit through government run outlets). Clearly, a relatively small figure. Another poll carried also carried out by Ipsos-Mori in 2000 showed a substantial rise in people calling for cannabis legalisation, with almost 48% calling for legalisation and 38% directly opposing any moves towards legalisation. An almost identical poll conducted by the BBC in the following year which asked whether cannabis should be decriminalised showed 49% responding yes, to 36% claiming it shouldn’t.

However, when these questions were opened up to incorporate other drugs as well, the numbers quite predictably dropped. A 2002 poll in the Observer, a newspaper in the UK saw 62% agreeing with the sentiment that illegal drugs shouldn’t be made legal. However, there is a drastic change in these figures towards the end of the 2000’s. Two separate polls conducted in recent weeks, one for Channel 4 and one for the Daily Mail (a right-wing UK newspaper) had some truly surprising figures. The Channel 4 poll asked the question, “Should recreational drugs be made available in the UK?” 55% responded “yes to all” while 42% said, “yes, some”. Thats a figure of 97% calling for some degree of legalisation! Meanwhile, only 3% believed drugs should remain illegal or more illegal. Perhaps more surprising is the poll being conducted by the Daily Mail today. Asking whether we “should legalise drugs in a bid to cut crime and improve health”, 72% of their readers answered yes, compared to 28% answering no.

It is this last poll which highlights the extent of this shift in public policy in the UK. While the Daily Mail’s drug policy stance still regards drug policy as a criminal justice issue, its readers have clearly shifted their perspective on the effectiveness of the current UK drug policy. For decades, speaking out about the failure of our drug policies has been regarded as political suicide and has long been cited as the main reason for politicians not engaging in the debate. However, middle England seems to be shifting in its opinion. Surely, there is no better time than the present for politicians to be mustering up the bravery to engage in this debate.  You never know, they may even receive some credit for it.