"The only people who would bother taking part in this survey in the 1st place, would be drug users. Not very useful or accurate, but hey, it sells magazines"

"Of the 29% of respondents who have never used drugs" Umm so that'll be NON drug users participating.

Also why listen to non drug users to make any sort of policy regarding drugs? That's like asking people without children to create the education policy of the country... (OK quite a wide generalisation, but you get my drift?). Is it better to ask someone who has read a book about a subject (mountain climbing) or the person who has direct experience of that subject (climbing a mountain).

Tobacco, Alcohol, Caffeine, Sugar (yes, sugar, alters your mood!) all legal, but an arbitrary line was drawn way back and even in these enlightened times we let a minority of conservative, small minded and religious zealots who can read a report, listen to a few so-called "experts" and heard of deaths from drugs run around with their hair on fire telling us the sky's falling in. Hmmmm...

Au contrare. Sane, sensible and sober after my wild days like MANY of my friends and if it trims off a few of the bed-ridden, adult diaper wearing years at the end then I say so-what? I'll disappear into the big here after with a great big freakin' smile on my face knowing I lived my life my way and on my terms and made my mind up about my own choices.

The only people who would bother taking part in this survey in the 1st place, would be drug users. Not very useful or accurate, but hey, it sells magazines

Hello boys and girls! Who can think of a single policy or legislative adjustment which would:

1. Raise a huge amount of additional tax income.
2. Reduce the number of people in prison and therefore the cost of maintaining them.
3. Reduce the costs of policing.
4. Give farmers in various poor countries viable, legal cash crops.
5. Remove the single biggest funding source for organised crime.

Given our straightened economic circumstances, it might turn out to be the revenue argument which finally puts an end to the most destructive and wrong-headed policy of prohibition that the world has ever seen....

This survey gives little valid and reliable information because it tells us only about the responses of a biased sub-group of an unknown sub-group, i.e. (a) the readers of Time Out, who (b) were interested in completing a survey about drug use (mainly drug users usually).

@pedant & TheLiberalThug

The size of the survey group is explained quite thoroughly in the first 2 words of the article.

marijuana, ecstasy, magic mushrooms, lsd, and other forms of hallucinogens should all be legal, or at least decriminalized! they help you find your inner self and happiness! i mean, who the hell wouldnt want to see the world in a whole new, beautiful perception?

As a person of 61 and have been using drugs since 1970 i have seen the good and bad side of them. I have lost a lot of friends who have passed on from heroin, heroin and crack cocaine are real shit dirty drugs, i have never got involved with them at all. I still smoke cannabis on a regular basis and even do a line or two sometimes. I can remember getting £1 draws of dope and you could get 3-4 good joints from this, we now pay £20 !!! whats that all about !!! but then dope was much better then and so many types to choose from. In the past i did speed, acid had some good trips and nothing bad and freaky ever happened and ecstacy, i had such a laugh . . . During the seventies and eighties i did a lot of drugs but as the nineties came in i stopped doing speed and acid as big changes were in place re: the purity of these drugs. These were not good and a lot of the old speed and acid died out and new drugs took their place. Now, i wouldn't do these or ecstacy at all as you just don't know what it is your getting due to unscrupulous dealers only in it for the profit. Even cannabis has changed dramatically, years ago there was such a choice nowadays theres none, its green, green, green with a bit of soft black thrown in now and then. The drug scene is not as good as it was what with these strange drugs such as ketamine etc etc, you knew what you were taking years ago and it was fun to do . . I am surprised that alcohol was only considered as a drug by 38%, alcohol is probably the worst drug imaginable, its one that certainly messes peoples lives up and should be in the same class as heroin and crack cocaine . . .

The fact that people classify poppers in equivalence to acid and cocaine says it all, considering poppers is legal. And it's amyl nitrite, not amyl nitrate.

"" 38% think alcohol should be classified on the same scale as other drugs" Alcohol IS a drug... morons"

Umm, are you high or are you blind? It does quite clearly say "OTHER drugs"...moron

The only thing about this survey that pissed me off is the way they worded the alcohol fact; " 38% think alcohol should be classified on the same scale as other drugs" Alcohol IS a drug... morons. There are no ice cream scoops taken from your brain every time you take ecstacy, magical mushrooms are very healing and spiritually awakening, no loss of brain cells, and cannabis has shown signs of finding cancerous brain cells and reworking them to destroy themselves. I say, you have the right what to do whatever with your body, not the government, and if a lot of people die off, good riddance! We're an over sized population anyways.

Re: Pedant - totally agree, this survey is a bit useless without more details on the survey group.

Decriminalise drugs. People still have a choice. Its time to abandon the traditional 'beer is better' opinion and look at the scientific facts. Ecstacy or cocaine is no less damaging than alcohol. Current analysis by a certain Mr David Nutt proves this and he is not alone. Can any one argue the current drug policy is working? Traditionally British politicians hate doing anything first or independently, but alas, we can copy Portugal. Their recent decriminalisation has worked a treat. Doubters check it out.

Their is an ethical conflict alongside social, economic and political ambiguities. If I want to take a leaf or a plant and ingest it, why can't I? Since when does the government care so deeply for our health. Mcdonalds is legal. Cars are legal. Killing yourself for the sake of a 'nation' is positively encouraged. It is an example of a government stuck in the past. They need to suck it up and go for glory. It is an opportunity to rid the country of a substantial crime epidemic and make people safer. The country has the truth from science, it is their duty to legislate accordingly. They wont because they are scared. All 66, 000000 of us suffer heinous crimes everyday because they have not the courage or honor.

Their can be no doubt personal use of drugs should be legal.

1400 People - read the survey from the beginning! Maybe you are one of the 10% of those surveyed sitting at home smoking cannabis and you are now clearly suffering the health risks associated with drugs?!

I wonder if it would've been 71% if it was the readership of The Lady, or Private Eye or even Cosmo...

Errr...how many people took part in this survey? 71% of how many people?