While cannabis is by far the most widely used illicit substance in Belgium, just a third of people (35%) in the country are in favour of legalising the drug, a recent survey shows.
Just under half of the population (48%) are against legalising cannabis, and 17% of respondents are undecided, according to Le Soir's 'Grand Barometer' survey carried out among a representative sample of 2,600 Belgian adults.
The results show a notable difference between the north and the south of the country: while 40% of Walloon respondents and 45% of Brussels residents are in favour of legalising cannabis, this was only the case for 31% of Flemish people.
Left-wing and young people more inclined
Those favouring left-wing political parties are more inclined towards legalisation (or even State regulation of the market) than their rightwing counterparts, the survey showed, but none of them reached the 50% mark in favour of legalisation – with the Belgian green parties, Ecolo (49%) and Groen (45%), coming closest.
Pro-legalisation sentiments were also shown to decrease with age but even among respondents aged between 18 and 34, a ceiling of 41% in favour of authorised cannabis was reached.
Credit: Belga/Michel Krakowski
Officially, growing or possessing cannabis is currently still a crime punishable by a fine or imprisonment in Belgium.
However, offences have been given a "low prosecution priority" under the conditions that the perpetrator is older than 18, the drug was meant for personal use, it concerns less than 3 grams, and the possession does not come with "aggravating circumstances or disturbance of public order."
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The country's drug law is 101 years old and the need to update it has been addressed multiple times. Most recently, Federal Economy Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne called to legalise the soft drug, and last year Brussels City mayor Philippe Close repeatedly urged the authorities to decriminalise the use of cannabis in Belgium, as a first step towards legalisation.
Three of Belgium's neighbouring countries (the Netherlands, Luxembourg and recently Germany) have already regulated the sale and use of cannabis to some extent. The University of Düsseldorf recently estimated the benefit of legalisation for the German Government at €4.7 billion per year. In Belgium, this would result in around €660 million per year, Dermagne said.
