UK Poll Finds Majority Support For Decriminalizing Cannabis
A YouGov UK poll was conducted on May 28th, 2025, the same day that news broke about the London Drugs Commission recommending that cannabis be decriminalized. London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who established the Commission in 2022, quickly endorsed the cannabis decriminalization recommendation.
The YouGov UK poll asked adults in the United Kingdom, “Would you support or oppose decriminalising possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use?” Below are the results of the poll:
As you can see from the YouGov UK poll data above, a combined 54% of poll respondents expressed support for the public policy change. Only 34% of poll respondents directly opposed cannabis decriminalization in the United Kingdom, with 13% being undecided.
When the results are filtered by region, support for cannabis decriminalization is even stronger in London, with a combined 56% of survey respondents expressing support for decriminalization, and only 30% of respondents directly opposing it. As is often the case with cannabis policy modernization polls, younger respondents were more likely to support decriminalization compared to older respondents.
“Inclusion of cannabis as a Class B drug in the Misuse of Drugs Act is disproportionate to the harms it can pose relative to other drugs controlled by the Act. The sentencing options currently available, especially for personal possession, cannot be justified when balanced against the longer-term impacts of experience of the justice system, including stop and search, or of serving a criminal sentence can have on a person.” The London Drugs Commission stated about its report earlier this week.
“Sir Sadiq Khan said current rules “cannot be justified”, adding that the commission’s findings had provided “a compelling, evidence-based case” for decriminalisation.” reported BBC in its local coverage.
A previous YouGov UK poll found that the level of support for cannabis legalization among adults in the United Kingdom is greater than the level of support for adult-use legalization among lawmakers.
“The results show that 50% of MPs are opposed to cannabis legalisation when asked in a support/oppose format, compared to 39% who would be in support.” YouGov UK stated about their January 2025 poll results. “The large majority of MPs do, however, believe that doctors should be allowed to prescribe cannabis for medical use (83%). Only 7% are opposed.”
“On the binary question of legalising cannabis, the British public are split, with 45% in favour and 42% opposed, making the public slightly more pro-legalisation than MPs.” YouGov UK also stated.
Adult-use cannabis legalization in the United Kingdom could generate as much as £1.5 billion in revenue and savings, according to a previous report by the advocacy group Transform Drug Policy Foundation.
The report, which was posted on the organization’s social media account back in March, determined that over £1.2 billion would be generated from taxes and fees annually, and an additional £284 million would be saved annually by the nation’s criminal justice system no longer enforcing cannabis prohibition policies.
“There would be costs incurred for Govt by regulatory infrastructure – inspection, monitoring, compliance, trading standards etc – but largely covered by licensing/other fees.” the organization stated on social media.
🚨NEW REPORT🚨
*High Returns: The Economic Benefits of UK Cannabis Legalisation*
Legally regulating cannabis (for non-medical use) in the UK could generate £1.5 billion in annual net benefits for the Treasury
Here’s a breakdown of the key findings👇#legaliseUKcannabis
1/🧵 pic.twitter.com/pXkSXYcPLq— Transform Drug Policy Foundation (@TransformDrugs) March 4, 2025
Transform Drug Policy Foundation also determined that “up to 15,500 full-time jobs could be created in cultivation, manufacturing, retail & related services, (depending on the model implemented).”
The report also found that “a regulated market could displace 80% of the illegal trade in five years (based on trends in Canada).” The organization’s proposed legalization model involves permitting home cultivation, cultivation associations, and a government retail monopoly.
A separate analysis published last year by UK-based advocacy group CLEAR determined that legalizing cannabis for adult use in the United Kingdom and taxing and regulating sales could generate as much as £9.5 billion per year based on their proposed model.
