Quarter of Brits say patients prescribed cannabis should grow their own

Specialist doctors can now legally prescribe cannabis products to patients in the UK.

Almost one in four Brits think patients who have been prescribed cannabis should be allowed to grow their own marijuana plants, a survey has revealed.

This compared to around 22 per cent of people who stated that anyone should be able to self produce the drug, the YouGov analysis reported.

However, 40 per cent of those quizzed disagreed, arguing that no one should be allowed to grow marijuana plants under any circumstances.

The survey, commissioned by the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group (CDPRG), polled 1,690 participants across England, Wales and Scotland.

Participants were also asked if they backed the recent law change in the UK, allowing specialist doctors to legally prescribe cannabis products to patients.

In the survey, 77 per cent of people said they backed the legalisation, while 76 per cent said they would consider using drugs of that type to treat a condition where there was strong evidence of benefit.

When asked whether they believe the Government’s policy deals well with the country’s drug problems, 79 per cent of those quizzed said they do not think it does.

In addition, 69 per cent said that the threat of criminal punishment for those who unlawfully sell drugs is not effective.

CDPRG chief executive, Rob Wilson, said: ‘Illegal drugs are doing terrible damage to families and communities throughout the country.

‘Thousands of people are dying, many hundreds of thousands of young people are taking drugs which they neither understand nor know what they contain.

‘At the same time violent criminal gangs are making massive financial gains while preying on the weak and vulnerable.

‘The findings of this survey demonstrate the urgent need for policymakers and government to start to rethink policy as part of an open, fully informed and evidence-based debate on the future of drugs policy.’

He added: ‘We also support the public’s belief, clearly expressed in this survey, that there should be the earliest access possible to medicinal cannabis where it provides safe benefits for users – including pain relief for sufferers.’