UK's drug addiction crisis: 1.2 million Britons now roll up cannabis every single day | Gravitas

We have told you on Gravitas how drugs have become a big menace in UK, whether it is nuclear-powered submarines or prisons. A new study has now laid bare how the drug crisis in Britain is exploding.

This study conducted by researchers at the University of Bath and King's College London has been published in the Addiction journal. It analysed responses from over 25,000 adults who took part in a survey in 2023 and 2024.

What they uncovered was startling.

About one in every 14 adults reported they had used cannabis last year. This amounts to nearly 7% of the population.

Additionally, almost a quarter of them reported daily use of cannabis.

On the whole, an estimated 1.2 million people in UK use cannabis daily.

Now, this is considerably higher than the official figure of four hundred seventy thousand adults reported by the country's crime survey.

While cannabis consumption is often seen as a young person's habit, a different picture emerges when it comes to frequent use.

According to the study, cannabis users in the 35-54 age group were around twice as likely to use it daily as compared to those aged 18 to 24.

But, what's the reason for this?

The study suggests that addiction is more common among people in mid-life, those out of work and those who smoke tobacco.

This may help understand patterns of drug consumption and identify people who may more likely benefit from support.

This crisis has penetrated jails as well.

A report released by Britain's inspector of prisons in July highlighted that illicit drugs like cocaine, ketamine and cannabis are supplied by drones to prisoners.

Close to 40% of the male and female prisoners opined that it is easy to get drugs in their respective prisons.

The report linked this phenomenon to despair and boredom, as people are held in overcrowded cells for 22 hours or more every day with little meaningful activity.

Also, violence increased in two-thirds of men's prisons, most of which was attributed to drugs.

This is not all.

Previously, UK's Ministry of Defence revealed that 175 Royal Navy crew members tested positive for drugs over a period of seven years, from 2017 to 2024.

What makes this worse is that these sailors served in the country's elite nuclear submarine force.

In 52 of these cases, the sailors were caught taking narcotics on a submarine.