Attitudes To Illegal Drugs

Two-thirds of Britons believe that drug laws are not tough enough, according to a MORI survey on attitudes to illegal drugs for the Police Foundation. Almost the same proportion (69%) disagree with the statement "taking drugs is a matter of personal choice and should not be against the law", with 21% taking the libertarian position.

Despite this, it is commonly accepted that the police are powerless to stop people taking drugs; 69% agree with this statement, and 22% disagree. This is a perception shared by drug users themselves. About a quarter of users said fear of a criminal record (23%), loss of employment (25%) and fear of prison (24%) would be a factor in influencing them to stop using drugs.

Public attitudes towards cannabis users are fairly liberal. Almost half (48%) say cannabis should be legalised (36% are against this), 61% consider it not very or not at all harmful (compared to 15% for tobacco), and 54% think cannabis users should be the lowest priority for the police.

Technical details

Research by MORI on behalf of the Police Foundation. 1,645 people aged 16-59 were interviewed face-to-face in their homes between 9th-13th April 1999.