The UK’s relationship with alcohol is on the rocks… According to the NHS, 337,870 of hospital admissions were due to alcohol abuse in one year in the UK and in 2017 alone, there were 5,843 alcohol-specific deaths across the country.
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The U.S., however, seems to have discovered a potential solution to these alcohol-related incidents: recent studies claim the reduction in overall alcohol consumption in the country is directly linked to the rise of medical marijuana legislation in multiple states. In fact, states in which medical marijuana is legal showed almost a 15% reduction in monthly alcohol sales, and in states where recreational marijuana is legal, sales dropped by 20%*.
A recent survey by CBDoil.co.uk found that Brits feel it would indeed create less strain on the NHS if marijuana – currently a Class B drug – was legalised across the country. The survey questioned 3,000 respondents and found that overall, 36% of Brits who support legalisation believe its main benefit would be less of a burden on the NHS.
Whilst the majority of Brits agree on this overall, there were others who felt it would benefit the UK in other ways. For example, 16.5% of Brits say the main benefit would be in freeing up police and courts’ time. Indeed, in 2017, the Liberal Democrats claimed one million hours* of police time were being squandered each year on enforcing the ban on cannabis.
15% of respondents feel legalising the drug would lead to employment and help local communities, and the same amount think it would lead to an increase in quality for its users (This is important considering low-quality cannabis with a high THC (psychoactive compound) content comprises a startling 94%* of the drug sold on UK streets. These low-grade strains can cause incidents of psychosis due to the fact that they are unregulated).
13% of respondents feel the legalisation of cannabis would result in an increased tax revenue for the country. This is evident in the U.S., where the economic benefits of pot legalisation are already apparent in states like Colorado where revenues have reached a new high – in 2015, the state collected more than $135 million* in taxes on medical and recreational marijuana.
Additionally, 6% of supporters of marijuana legalisation feel it would alleviate the number of alcohol-related problems in the UK.
Since November 2018, Brits have been legally able to access medicinal marijuana. However, it turns out the majority of people are actually unaware of the cannabis law with 64% of respondents saying they had no clue medical marijuana was legal in the UK.
People in Northern Ireland were the most canna-clueless with a whopping 79% of respondents saying they were unaware of the law. By comparison, Londoners were most well-informed with half (52%) of respondents being unaware that medical cannabis is legal in the UK.
Find out how much you know about the budding industry in the UK with CBDoil.co.uk's interactive quiz:
The study also discovered that over half of Brits would report a neighbour who they suspected of smoking cannabis, and 3/4 feel the war on drugs has, in fact, failed.
One third (34%) of respondents think that a cannabis store in their area would make a positive contribution.
“It’s important that people are aware of the incredible benefits that cannabis can have as well as the legislations in place which allow its use,” Says Mark Fawcett, spokesperson of CBDoil.co.uk. “CBD oil can effectively relieve things like stress levels, insomnia and anxiety, and improve general wellbeing.”
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