Today, the latest of a series now published weekly in British newspapers was released in The TimesThe second week running, has taken aim at some of UK’s most prominent clinics for their advertising.
The survey was conducted just a few days after YouGov published its results, one of the largest and most respected polling agencies in the UK. It examined attitudes toward cannabis among the British population.
While YouGov acknowledged that the survey was timed to coincide with 4/20 (April 20), the unofficial date for celebrations surrounding ‘cannabis culture’, it offers meaningful insight into whether the attitudes of the British public align with those recently represented in the mainstream media.
This survey was carried out between 31 March and 1 April 2026. It surveyed 2053 adults in Great Britain.
The survey was wide-ranging, asking questions about everything, from the sample’s views on drugs, to their awareness of policy positions by parties, perceptions on harm, law enforcement and crime, as well as whether or not drug use is a criminal issue.
Consumption and appetite
In the study, over a third (37%) of Britons say that they have consumed cannabis, either in its raw or processed form. Of those, 25% say it was once, twice, while 12% say many times.
Notably, the breakdown of the population shows that the adults aged between 25-49 are the group most likely to be cannabis users, having the highest lifetime prevalence at 47%. This is much higher than the reported 23% for the youngest 18-24 cohort and the 25% recorded among over 65’s.
29% of people who had used marijuana at one time or another in their lives say they’d be willing to try it again. Majority, 66% say no, and 45% are unwilling to do so.
Britons say that they’ve never tried cannabis. 7% would try it, while 87% would not.
YouGov estimates that 15 % of British citizens are interested in future usage.
Prior users of the product who are in favor of legalisation say they’d use it again. Only 3% said that. Many of those who support legalization have no plans to use the product.
The Three-Way Split
A question was also asked regarding the attitudes of respondents towards legalisation. When given a binary option, either supporting or opposing legalisation, just under half (47%) said they were in favour, compared to 43% who said they were opposed, and 11% undecided.
The picture changed when asked to select between the three positions of keeping cannabis as a crime, decriminalisation and complete legalisation.
Just over a third (35%) favour criminalisation, 33% favour legalisation, and 23% favour decriminalisation, defined as treating possession and sale as a minor offence rather than a criminal one. Nine percent say that they do not know.
Political affiliation seemed to have a significant impact on these three major cohorts. Conservative voters prefer criminalisation, at 54%. Legalisation, at 17%. Labour voters and Liberal Democrat are equally divided.
The dynamic between the two parties is even more apparent amongst younger party members. Reform UK voters are 42% in favour of criminalisation and only 34% in favor of legalisation. This is notable, given the fact that Reform voters report the same level as Greens voters, i.e. 43% lifetime cannabis usage.
Green voters are by far the biggest outliers with 54% supporting legalisation, and just 22% opposing it.
The data show a large gap in public awareness of party policies. Only 7% say they support cannabis legalisation. The Liberal Democrats are the only major political party that has formally committed to this at the general elections of 2024. In contrast, only 31% of the public believe that the Greens are in favor of legalization, while 52% don’t know what party, if anyone, is behind it.
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Health crimes, harm, and enforcement
Cannabis is considered harmful by a majority of Britons (57%), including 22% that consider it extremely harmful.
However, the public draws a clear distinction between cannabis and ‘hard drugs’, with 97% stating that they consider both heroin and crack cocaine harmful, with over 90% selecting the strongest response for each. In contrast, only 35% of cannabis users support the full criminalisation of heroin or crack cocaine.
The opinions on enforcement are split evenly. While 24% think that police are being too harsh, 25% believe the current approach is right and 26% say it isn’t tough enough.
This section reveals that more Britons than ever (60%) think that making cannabis illegal will not prevent its use.
The majority opinion is also shared by those who want to keep cannabis illegal, 48% of them.
In terms of whether drug abuse should be framed as a medical or criminal problem, the biggest group (40%) says both, while 25% prefer the health frame and 26% favor the criminal. To the question of whether legalization will affect crime levels, 34% say they expect nothing to change, 29% predict a decrease, and 23% expect an increase.
Is the UK media’s narrative representative of public opinion?
In the early 2026, there was a rush of articles published in magazines like The Daily Mail The following are some examples of how to get started: GB News describing medical cannabis as a ‘shocking loophole’, while characterising patients as benefits claimants accessing ‘super-strength’ cannabis.
Media scrutiny has become more nuanced in recent months, raising legitimate concerns about an industry that promotes itself to be medical.
This survey reveals a clear distinction between attitudes toward the cannabis industry as a whole and towards medical cannabis.
Two stories that were published weeks apart are a prime example. This column was published in Paper on 29 March cited Charlotte Caldwell, the mother whose campaign helped push the 2018 legalisation of medical cannabis over the line, as evidence of reform gone wrong, quoting her describing the outcome as ‘a disaster.’
Three weeks later, multiple outlets reported that Caldwell had launched a new campaign group, TRACD, calling on governments across the UK to run regulated recreational pilots as the only credible solution to what she describes as the country’s ‘broken cannabis policy.’
It is clear that her criticism is sincere and constant. She believes that recreational users have access to prescriptions for medical treatments, which denies chronically ill people who need them. But she does not propose a stricter prohibition. This is legalisation that has been regulated.
YouGov’s data published on the day TRACD was launched suggests that the public has a more favorable view of her than what the media coverage around the story indicates. Only 35% of Britons support keeping cannabis as a crime. 60% of Britons believe that criminalising cannabis is ineffective. Of those surveyed, 56% are in favor of some type of legal reform, be it decriminalisation or legalisation.
They may be in fact agreeing on whether their current strategy is effective, despite the tension that appears between the public and media.
MEDCAN24 readers can now receive a 15% discount on their Cannabis Europa London 2026 tickets using the code BOFC15.
The latest story in an ongoing weekly series in British main stream media was published this morning. The TimesThe second week running, has taken aim at some of UK’s most prominent clinics for their advertising.
The survey was conducted just days before YouGov published its results, which were based on a comprehensive and representative study of attitudes toward cannabis among the British population.
While YouGov acknowledged that the survey was timed to coincide with 4/20 (April 20), the unofficial date for celebrations surrounding ‘cannabis culture’, it offers meaningful insight into whether the attitudes of the British public align with those recently represented in the mainstream media.
This survey was carried out between 31 March and 1 April 2026. It surveyed 2053 adult British citizens and weighted it to reflect the population of adults.
This survey covered a wide range of topics, including the opinions and perceptions about hard drugs as well party policies, perceived harms, expectations for crime enforcement by police, whether drug abuse should be treated criminally or healthily, and their attitudes towards police.
Consumption and appetite
In the study, over a third (37%) of Britons say that they have consumed cannabis, either in a form or another. Of those, 25% say they used it once, twice, while 12% say they did so multiple times.
The demographic breakdown showed that the 25-49 age group was the most likely to use cannabis. This cohort had the highest lifetime prevalence at 47%. That is significantly higher than 23% amongst the 18-24 year old cohort and 25% in the over 65’s.
29% of people who had used marijuana at one time or another in their lives say they’d be willing to try it again. Majority, 66% say no, and 45% are unwilling to do so.
Britons, who have said they never tried marijuana, are 7% more likely to try it once it is legalized, as opposed to 87% of those who wouldn’t.
YouGov estimates that 15 % of British citizens are interested in future usage.
Prior users of the product who are in favor of legalisation say they’d use it again. Only 3% said that. Legalization is supported by a large number of people who have no plans to consume the drug themselves.
The Three-Way Split
A question was also asked regarding the attitudes of respondents towards legalization. When given a binary option, either supporting or opposing legalisation, just under half (47%) said they were in favour, compared to 43% who said they were opposed, and 11% undecided.
The picture changed when asked to select between the three positions of keeping cannabis as a crime, decriminalisation and complete legalisation.
Just over a third (35%) favour criminalisation, 33% favour legalisation, and 23% favour decriminalisation, defined as treating possession and sale as a minor offence rather than a criminal one. 9 per cent don’t have an opinion.
Political affiliation seemed to have a significant impact on these three major cohorts. Conservative voters prefer criminalization at 54% and legalisation at 17%, while Labour voters and Liberal Democrat votes are distributed more evenly across the three options.
The dynamic between the two parties is even more apparent amongst younger party members. Reform UK voters are 42% in favour of criminalisation and only 34% in favor of legalisation. This is notable, given the fact that Reform voters report the same level as Greens voters, i.e. 43% lifetime cannabis usage.
Green voters are by far the biggest outliers with 54% supporting legalisation, and just 22% opposing it.
The data show a large gap in public awareness of party policies. Only 7% say they support cannabis legalisation. The Liberal Democrats are the only major political party that has formally committed to this at the general elections of 2024. Comparatively, 31% think the Greens favor legalization and 52% do not know if there is a party that supports it.
READ MORE…
Health crimes, harm, and enforcement
The majority of Britons (57%) consider regular cannabis users to be harmful, with 22% considering it extremely harmful.
However, the public draws a clear distinction between cannabis and ‘hard drugs’, with 97% stating that they consider both heroin and crack cocaine harmful, with over 90% selecting the strongest response for each. In contrast, 83% of people want heroin and crack to be criminalized completely. Only 35% are in favour of cannabis.
The opinions on enforcement are split evenly. While 24% think that police are being too harsh, 25% believe the current approach is right and 26% say it isn’t tough enough.
The section’s key findings suggest that more Britons than ever (60%) think that making drugs illegal will not prevent their use.
The majority opinion is also shared by those who want to keep cannabis illegal, 48% of them.
When asked whether drugs should be framed as a criminal or health issue, the majority, 40 percent, said both. However, 25 percent favored the health frame and 26 percent the criminal. To the question of whether legalisation would affect crime levels, 34% said they did not expect any change, 29% expected less, and 23% were expecting more.
Is the UK media’s narrative representative of public opinion?
In the early 2026, there was a rush of articles published in magazines like The Daily Mail The following are some examples of how to get started: GB News describing medical cannabis as a ‘shocking loophole’, while characterising patients as benefits claimants accessing ‘super-strength’ cannabis.
Media scrutiny has become more nuanced in recent months, raising legitimate concerns about an industry that promotes itself to be medical.
This survey revealed a clear distinction between attitudes toward the cannabis legalisation movement and perceptions of medical cannabis.
Two stories that were published weeks apart are a prime example. This column was published in Paper on 29 March cited Charlotte Caldwell, the mother whose campaign helped push the 2018 legalisation of medical cannabis over the line, as evidence of reform gone wrong, quoting her describing the outcome as ‘a disaster.’
Three weeks later, multiple outlets reported that Caldwell had launched a new campaign group, TRACD, calling on governments across the UK to run regulated recreational pilots as the only credible solution to what she describes as the country’s ‘broken cannabis policy.’
It is clear that her criticism is sincere and constant. She believes that recreational users have access to prescription drugs, which denies chronically ill people who need them. But the remedy she has proposed is not a tighter ban. This is legalisation that has been regulated.
YouGov’s data published on the day TRACD was launched suggests that the public has a more favorable view of her than what the media coverage around the story indicates. Only 35% of Britons support keeping cannabis as a crime. 60% of Britons believe that criminalising cannabis is ineffective. Decriminalisation and full legalisation are both supported by 56% of respondents.
On the question whether or not the present approach works, both sides may be in agreement.
MEDCAN24 readers can now receive a 15% discount on their Cannabis Europa London 2026 tickets using the code BOFC15.
Cannabis Law Resources in Poland
Browse essential legal pages on cannabis sales and cultivation in Poland. You can use these resources to learn about the requirements for certifications, permissions and compliance.
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Polish News Registration and Interests of Cannabis Businesses
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Permissions for Cannabis Sales in Poland
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Authorization for Importing or Manufacturing Medical Products
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Permission for Manufacturing or Importing Medical Products
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Certificate of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
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Registration of Medical Products in Poland