David Cameron and drugs
Populus conducted a snap poll of 522 on Tuesday in response to the revelations over the weekend that David Cameron admitted using cannabis while at school.
81% of people said it didn’t matter that Cameron had taken cannabis at university and there was even higher support for Cameron’s contention that MPs shouldn’t be expected to answer such questions: 85% said that Cameron should not be expected “to answer detailed questions about whether he tried drugs in his youth because all politicians are entitled to have made mistakes when they were growing up”.
However, there are limits to the tolerance. David Cameron has previously only stated that he has not taken drugs since becoming an MP, leaving a gap between his student life and his entry into politics – 71% of people told Populus that “it would matter if it turned out that he had done so as an adult, after he started work”. Equally, while people don’t seem to mind about cannabis, 64% of people said it would matter to them if Cameron had experimented with more serious drugs at university.
Filed under: Populus
“After he started work” is a bit open-ended when most know his work as being an MP, that is probably what most would think of when the question is asked.
I think it was radio 5 which said the old colonels could go and vote for UKIP but the centre majority would appreciate he was part of the modern world. And 15; dont we all remember the stupid things we did then…
To me it’s a complete non story.
I’d have been more surprised if someone of his age said they hadn’t. Also, it’s no real surprise to find the electorate aren’t too bothered. A significant proportion of the electorate are in the same boat as Cameron here- possibly a majority, certainly of those under forty.
This poll is fairly indicative of social behaviour trends.
I think it’s true to say that in the modern world most people would still find adult drug-taking of anything stronger than cannabis to be unacceptable, which is why Cameron is in the clear; it was cannabis, and it was as an adolescent. The polls seem to back that view up.
The fact that he has tried cannabis shows that he is just a normal person and he is more equipt to comment on the subject of cannabis usage ulike MP’s and other adults who have never experienced it or its effects.
The man is being honest without giving details – and why should he. I never touched drugs in my youth and wouldn’t dream of starting now, but understand how many of my era (60s) experimented.
People do grow up and change their views as they get older, perhaps even regretting something they did or tried before they fully matured.
What’s wrong with that?
I feel sad that we are still trying to throw mud at our decent Politicians. David Cameron has proven he is just as human as the rest of us. All of us in our teens have done things we regret later in life. If cameron had smoked POT then he did just what many of us did. I myself have tried this as a young man. I did not like it. If we look at todays youth, We find that they are smoking filth that has very little cannabis in it. It contains all kinds of drugs and even Warfarin in many cases. This is a different culture today. Kids are living in a dangerous environment. The rise in drug dealing and crime are linked. Not as when we were kids. To try and blacken Cameron this way is wrong. There are many MP’s in the house of Commons that have done much worse. We have senior MP’s who have sons themselves that smoke this filth of today. There is one that I know of that not only smokes cannabis, But he deals it also. Does his father know. Well that is a question that only they know. It is time that mud slinging in Politics stopped. These back stabbing MP’s are playing a dangerous game. Surely, They as do many of us have skeletons in the cupboard that we are afraid may be let out.
I don’t mind people taking cannabis, but let’s not exaggerate things; most British people have not tried cannabis, and that includes most young people. It probably is still better if people can get through life without using drugs if possible. (You can probably tell I don’t live inside the M25).
Complete non-story. I agree with Anthony – we hound our politicians to an extent that is unhealthy. Who, in their right minds would want to be a politician?
If he ever becomes PM, he might have a problem if there is a crackdown on drugs – people will highlight the inconsistency – but such a crackdown seems unlikely.
Andy- I think you’re probably wrong about most young people. While the amount who smoke it regularly is certainly a minority, I think you would find that those who haven’t at least tried it would also be a minority.
I’m not sure I even think of Pot as being a drug- though that’s obviously how it is classed in law.
It’s an interesting point, Joe. I’d still say a slight majority haven’t taken it, from all the evidence I’ve seen, but it’s impossible to say for certain. I think there are quite a lot of young people who just quietly get on with their lives without taking any drugs at all, whereas those who do take drugs tend to make a slightly bigger song-and-dance about it, which gives the impression that most young people have taken drugs.
Also, the lives and views of people living inside the M25 and other big cities tend to have a big influence on the way we think about each other, (where I’m sure a big majority have tried cannabis).
I would have thought it was the sort of thing most people- including the young- kept reasonably quiet about.
But I take your point about the difference between a more metropolitan as against a suburban/rural perspective.
One detects the smell in public places quite regularly these days.
i think with the country in such a monumental mess we should be worried about more important things ,and get people that can run government better.
Personal story: When I was at university, at the end of two consecutive years final exams my hall went on a trip to Amsterdam. And virtually everyone on the coach tried it while there even if most wouldn’t normally. Myself, being a non-smoker and not a drug taker (aside from alcohol), I ate it in cookie form.
So at least of our group, only a tiny, tiny minority might have smoked it regularly, but the vast majority tried it in some form or another. I wouldn’t say that’s entirely representative: If the trip to Amsterdam hadn’t been organised I’d have never gone and never tried it – however I’d suspect the average is somewhere in that range. Only a few might do it regularly, but far, far more will try it at least once.
Andy: Even aside from this, I knew a lot at uni who took drugs rarely. Yes, there were many ‘druggies’ who made a ’song and dance about it’, but there were quite a lot who’d normally only take alcohol but would occasionally take marijuana. Again its only a personal experience but I’d say of the hundreds of students I knew while there, I knew more who’d at least tried marijuana, than who regularly smoked tobacco.
Just to add, for the record I’ve never bought it in the UK and never tried it since returning from the holiday (where I only tried it there on our last night anyway). I wonder where I to run for politics were it to be an issue? To have tried it, but only tried it legally overseas? Or even should that make a difference?
They asked the wrong question. They would have got a more interesting response if they asked if people thought he was a “toff” following his admission that he tried canabis at Eton.
Interesting points. It obviously must be very close to 50% of young people having used cannabis at some time, but I don’t think it can be said for certain whether it is indeed a majority. I have known a lot of people who boasted about taking it as teenagers because it was trendy to do so, but who were mostly bluffing, they later admitted.
Remembering from my own university days, people seemed pretty evenly divided into those who did and those who didn’t.
Of those who did, there was a small group who smoked regularly- and a much larger group who’d have some if they were in the room at the time.
It’s probably very much the minority who continued to indulge post-graduation, but during those three years it was certainly considered socially acceptable amongst people I knew.
Remember of course, we’re talking about university students here as well- and not the on the dole drop out culture.
In fact- and this is serious- the three biggest smokers I knew at university all voted Tory in 97.
As a politician, it’s bad taste to bring about to people that he at one point in his life used cannabis,when people at that age who go to school are being taught the ill effects of the pot.
It is importantant that he admits this type of misdemeaner ,most especially in public life – it shows to me a form of trust.
[...] Wells reports 81% of people said it didn’t matter that Cameron had taken cannabis at university and there was [...]