Your Voices - Drugs in the UK — The Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group

Drugs in the UK: YourVoices

YourVoices is a campaign to foster debate about drugs and drug policy in the UK by collecting and sharing the experiences and views of real people. The campaign is non-judgemental and has no position on UK drug policy, but we do want to break through some of the stigma which prevents honest conversations about drugs.

The real life stories and voices on drugs we’ve collected are shared on the campaign Instagram account @yourvoicesuk. You can see the 16 most recent stories below - click on the images to read each story, and follow the Instagram account to join in the conversation!

"My uncle Seamus was diagnosed with bipolar as a young teen and ended up dying from suicide aged 19. My mother found his dead body along with my grandmother. Suicide didn't just kill Seamus, it killed everyone in our family too. Our family ran the local GP surgery in a town in Northern Ireland. The reality of the world made Seamus sick, so he would take drugs to help him. He dappled mostly witch ecstasy on nights out and smoked cannabis regularly (bearing in mind drugs in the 1990s weren't as strong as today.) He soon realised that the ecstasy was making his bipolar worse, however with bipolar, he was always manic and used to express how he felt through his poetry. My mother read his poem "Hypomania" at his funeral. The cannabis helped him calm down, it relaxed him and let him do the one thing he wanted to do the most, escape reality. We all knew that Seamus was going to take his life at some point and I truly believe that those extra years our family had with Seamus was due to the cannabis he smoked. However, this isn't the case for everyone. My father in his own words was a smash head. From the age of 12 after his parents divorced and his father moved to Scotland. My father grew up in Reading, England and never valued education. He became an artist, an amazing artist and would smoke cannabis to help him explore his creativity. He then became addicted to cannabis. I believe that us as a society shouldn't judge or penalise those who take drugs. Instead of sending drug addicts to prison, why can't we send them to a rehabilitation centre where they can have the proper care the they need? We need more empathy for those who abuse drugs, we shouldn't punish them as taking drugs isn't black and white. We don't know their reasons. I am 15 years old and was sexually assaulted by a boy in my class who I once regarded as one of my closest friends. My school didn't do anything about it, they didn't inform social services or the police. I hated talking to my mother about it because I knew it upset her. I overdosed on paracetamol as I thought it would be my only way out. It was hard seeing the person who sexually assaulted me every single day in school.

"Cannabis has defiinitely helped with my anxiety, it's also helped with pain where no other prescribed drug has worked. I also gave someone some cannabis butter who suffers with terminal brain cancer and hasn't been out of bed for a couple of years. After taking this, he was up and moving." - Dave, 50, Events organiser in East Midlands.

"Drugs have affected me positively, weed has helped me with anxiety and the government's approach on treating it as a class B is wrong" - Evan, 17, Subway worker in the North West.

“The most significant, special life changing events that have happened to me happened because of drugs. At the age of 15 (perhaps too young to start experimenting with drugs) I started doing a lot of research into drugs and slowly started realising they are really not as bad as the media makes them out to be - when used in the correct way. The best way I can describe my first mdma experience was - healing. It did me so much good, and really helped me accept who I was, and manage my mental health from then on. After experimenting and researching many drugs, I decided to finally try psychedelics, and after doing these I really really cannot imagine mine, or my friends lives never having tried them. I really do not want to advocate the use of drugs, but seeing as I have had overwhelmingly positive experiences and effects from them it’s hard not to. The current mass views on drugs are disgusting, and people who want to explore their own minds are looked down upon, instead of helped and told how to do it safely. There is still such a massive amount of stigma associated with drugs, which is harmful to drug users as they are not told how to do drugs responsibly. It is so hard to believe we live in a society where alcohol, literally one of the most harmful drugs is still massively promoted and abused by all ages. I sincerely hope in my life time we see the drugs laws changed, and people who would benefit from psychedelics will be able to gain access.” – Owen, 18, student in south Wales.

"Cannabis and LSD have had a huge positive impact on my life. I suffer from anxiety and PTSD and smoking or eating cannabis daily helps my anxiety symptoms in a way that GP prescribed medication never could. I was prescribed sertraline and it made me feel very out of it and like I wasn't myself, whereas smoking cannabis means I am able to go about my day normally without being so greatly affected by anxiety. LSD has helped with my PTSD as it has allowed me to go back and process the trauma I went through and see that life is worth living. I have only taken it once.I strongly believe that cannabis and LSD are not recreational drugs, but tools that can be used to treat people with similar conditions to mine. The government does not share this view, instead pushing pharmaceuticals because of the monetary aspect."- Benny, 20, Student in the North East.

"Drugs have both affected my life in both good and bad ways. They can be good for socialising and maintaining inner peace however abusing anything can be bad. As a university student who is studying the effect of drugs the governments approach is completely wrong. It sounds mad but for a more safe and drug free environment, legalise all drugs and create centres in which they can take these drugs. Many countries have done this and there drug rates are next to nothing." - Colin, 24 from Yorkshire and Humber.

"I have been smoking weed daily for a few months, and have felt generally happier in my daily life. It has caused trouble for me, as it has been difficult to hide from my family and got me in bother at my school. I am 17, and I feel the government should be more relaxed about Marijuana. Harder drugs such as MDMA are great but I understand their illegal status and think they should stay that way." - George,17, Student from the South East.

“I smoke weed regularly to help me with my mental health I also enjoy taking party drugs such as Ket, coke, XTC and nos, I feel like the government need to decriminalize these to further research as the government can’t stop teens and young adults from using them” – Charlie, 16, student from South East.

“I think the UK government is doing nothing about the heavy and oblivious drug problems throughout the UK because we see it everywhere, it’s in our homes, in our friends’ lives, it’s on the streets and it’s so obvious but the only thing UK police care about is speeding/cars. It’s literally killing us. You go to a festival and you can only pick out a handful of people not on it. Ecstasy is as easy to get as candy, weed is easier to buy than cigarettes, coke is everywhere, drugs are everywhere. Truth is at some point nobody wants to do it anymore but they still do. Truth is no one is doing anything about it, not bouncers, not family, everyone just kind of leaves people that do drugs to themselves.” – Katie, 17, Hospitality, North West.

“I have been smoking marijuana for about 10 years. I had never been particularly attracted to it until I had problems with anxiety. I wish I could smoke legally and not have to finance the illicit trade. I pay taxes I have a job, and smoking at the end of the day is important to me, work related stress can affect my relationships and state of mind. Legalizing would benefit the nation and health. I also believe it is shameful that a state knows that the vast majority of people use it but prefer to continue to give money to the mafia.” – David, 31, cleaner in the North West.

“The UK has a ridiculous drug policy, policing something they cannot stop. People order drugs to their door these days and they can't stop people doing that as they don't have the funding. Treating a drug addict as a criminal doesn't make any sense to me as no one wants to be hooked on heroin and their life depending and revolving around their next dose. Surely this is a mental health issue and people need support.” Levi, 20, university student in Wales.

“My life has been positively affected by drugs, which in the UK are put in Class A. After a large amount of research, I have been fortunate enough to travel to countries with a different approach to experience the therapeutic usage of psilocybin, the active ingredient in what we call Magic Mushrooms, as well as Ayahuasca. This has been nothing short of profound and I feel strongly that the next big breakthrough in mental health will come from the responsible therapeutic use of correctly dosed psychedelic compounds in safe settings.
Much is said about the harms of current drug policy, but not enough is said about the fact that it tends to limit research into positive uses of substances. Once our approach to drugs reaches a certain level of sophistication we will not only be able to protect the vulnerable and traumatised from further harm, but actively treat their trauma using the correct type and amount of medication that is right for them. Once control is taken back from organised crime we will be able to make progress.” – James, 32, Police Constable in West Midlands.

Cannabis and psychedelics saved my life. I was in a downward spiral of depression, struggling to find meaning and often struggling to even get out of bed in the morning. Discovering the uplifting power of cannabis & LSD, for me, was like finding an oasis in the desert. Suddenly I could access sheer joy and blissfulness for the first time since childhood. It was then I knew it was possible to feel this way again within myself and I began a journey of inner change. I was fortunate to have trusted friends I felt safe with so I could experiment with these substances but I know that the government’s current approach prevents so many people from ever accessing these potentially life-changing or even life-saving substances. I know change will come one. – Sam, 27, bike courier in the South East.

I had to go on sickness leave due to cocaine, benzos, alcohol. I was hospitalised but no further help. – Molly, 18, working in retail and in sixth form in East Midlands.

“My first time smoking weed and inhaling nitrous oxide intensified my physical health symptoms. I suffered multiple seizures that night and it triggered suicidal thoughts that left me in a psychiatric hospital. From just one night of using a low dose of drugs it’s taken me months to get myself near to back on track. I think the current government laws are sensible. I just wish people felt more comfortable sharing their drug use with people who can help them so that they are safe in situations like I’ve had.” – Lois, 15 in London.

I first smoked weed and then tried MDMA. MDMA was my drug of choice for a while before trying Cocaine, Ketamine and later on psychedelics. Compared to how I am when I’m drunk, I prefer when I’m high - I feel a lot more in control of myself. Addiction has never been a problem for me, although as with any other substance I have had binges before. But that is usually followed by a long period without using them afterwards. – Tariq, 20, student and bartender in South East.

Tell us your story

If you live in the UK and feel that your life has been impacted by drugs, we’d love to hear your story. You may have been impacted directly, through drug use by friends or family, or through your work. Your experiences may have been bad or good.

Complete our short survey to tell us your story

YourVoices is run by the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group (CDPRG). Responses are treated in the strictest confidence and won't be shared outside of the organisation without your express permission. We will happily change names by request.

For more information about the YourVoices campaign, email [email protected]