Background

There has been much debate around the liberalisation of cannabis laws both in Ireland and internationally. The recreational use of cannabis has been legalised in 23 states in the United States (US), in Canada, and in Uruguay.

While no national government in Europe supports legalisation of cannabis sale for recreational use, a new coalition government in Germany agreed in late 2021 to regulate the sale of cannabis to adults for recreational purposes, while Luxembourg has also announced that it will legalise the production, sale, and consumption of cannabis.

It has been noted that public opinion can play an important role in cannabis liberalisation. Given the current debate regarding cannabis legalisation in Ireland, understanding trends in public opinion and the characteristics of supporters may help to inform policy around cannabis regulation. A 2023 study aimed to examine changes in attitudes towards recreational cannabis use in Ireland since 2002.1

Methods

Data from Ireland’s five National Drug Prevalence Surveys (2002/03, 2006/07, 2010/11, 2014/15, 2019/20) were analysed. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine factors associated with being in favour of the use of cannabis for recreational purposes.

Results

Overall, there was minority support for permitting recreational cannabis use among 15–64-year-olds (see Figure 1), which ranged from 19.1% in 2006/07 to 29.9% in 2019/20.

The factors significantly associated with agreeing with recreational cannabis use were being male and living in Dublin, as well as being either a recent or past cannabis user, knowing cannabis users, perceiving cannabis use as not being a great risk, and not disapproving of cannabis use. Surprisingly, there was a relative lack of support among younger respondents, even though younger people in Ireland are more likely to use cannabis compared with older adults.

Figure 1: Level of agreement with recreational cannabis use among 15–64-year-olds, 2002/03–2019/20

Conclusion

In conclusion, while there has been majority opposition to permitting recreational cannabis use in Ireland since 2002, support has increased over time. Given the potential public health impact of legalisation, it is imperative that valid and reliable information on cannabis use, cannabis use disorders, and cannabis–related harm is collected, so that the impact of any changes arising from cannabis legalisation can be accurately measured.

1    Mongan D, Millar SR, O’Dwyer C, Galvin B and Smyth BP (2023) Trends in public attitudes to permitting cannabis for recreational use: analysis of Irish survey data since 2002. Eur J Public Health, 33(4): 627–632. Available from: https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/38555/