Death from cannabis use in England and Wales 1993-2022

Deaths related to cannabis use in England and Wales amounted to 26 in 2022. In 2020, 36 cannabis-related deaths were reported, the highest annual amount in the last 25 years. The number of cannabis-related deaths was lowest in 2011,at seven deaths, and since 2014 the annual number of mortalities has remained above twenty. 

Use of cannabis

In a 2018 survey, fifteen percent of the British public admitted they had consumed cannabis. Prevalence of cannabis use is highest in the younger age groups with almost thirty percent of those aged 18 to 24 years stating they had used cannabis. Additionally, cannabis is not regarded to be as dangerous as other illegal or even legal drugs by the public. Over a third of surveyed British individuals consider cannabis to be not harmful, compared to only four percent who think tobacco is not harmful.

Caught green handed

The number of offences involving cannabis possession in England and Wales has significantly decreased since 2009, the number of possession offences in 2019 was a 30 percent decrease figure in 2009. Furthermore, in the context of other European countries with relative populations; the United Kingdom had a lot less seizures of cannabis resin in 2018 than in Spain or France but more thanItaly.