Thanks Down Under? – 50% of Australians now support recreational cannabis reform

Just as the world looks back on alcohol prohibition in the 1930s with a bewildering perspective, fifty years from now it will no doubt think back to the days of marijuana prohibition as well. It could be a lot more complicated than that. Alcohol is known to be a deadly and highly addictive drug. This is not the case with cannabis.

But perhaps a look back at the historical disapproval of that period isn’t fifty years away, but closer than we think. There is a strong possibility that the world could have fully decriminalized marijuana in ten years. Still, the sector has come a long way in the decade since voters in Washington and Colorado enacted referendums establishing a recreational marijuana marketplace.

In both Australia and Europe, support for the refurbishment of leisure facilities has now reached a critical stage. In an online poll conducted by polling firm Essential Research between March 30 and April 2, 2022, 50 percent of respondents said they favor full reform. The percentage of respondents who were in favor is twice as high as in a 2013 poll conducted by the National Drug Strategy Household Research.

In just six years, this sea change has resulted in a doubling of support for reform in Australia.

In addition, 58 percent want to make medical marijuana cheaper by allowing patients to grow cannabis personally, and 62 percent want the current drug trafficking laws to be repealed.

The massive shift in public perception also reflects strong opposition to current state-sponsored drug policies, which have led to a 23 percent increase in arrests related to marijuana use or possession over the same period.

According to the charity Unharm, which commissioned the poll in Australia, this incident also clearly shows that political leaders are not aligned with the wishes of society on the issue. Indeed, the need for drug policy reform at both the federal and international levels is urgent and global as this issue is not unique to Australia.

Cannabis reform in Australia

At least when it comes to reforming medicinal cannabis at the federal level, Australia has progressed more or less in step with other countries. The national government declared in October 2015 that commercial cultivation of cannabis would be legalized for scientific and medicinal reasons. Since then, reform has progressed slowly.

The vast majority of Australians believe that cannabis can be used for therapeutic purposes. According to the latest NDSH poll, 84.4 percent of Australians support drug legalization, with majorities in all states and territories.

In theory, medicinal cannabis is legal in every state and territory after Commonwealth-wide approval in 2016. Obtaining medical cannabis is far more difficult in practice. Patients continue to have limited access, with long waits and cumbersome bureaucratic procedures.

The legalization of cannabis for recreational use is becoming increasingly popular around the world. Cannabis is already legal in Canada, Uruguay, Catalonia and nine US states, and dispensaries are springing up across the country. As a result of this trend, more and more Australians support the legalization of cannabis. Support increased from 26 percent to 35.4 percent between 2013 and 2016.

Recent data shows that marijuana remains the most commonly used illicit drug in the world, with an estimated 3.9 percent of the world’s population (or around 192 million people) using the drug fairly frequently. In Australia, on the other hand, the numbers are far larger, with around 11 percent of people using cannabis at least once a year in 2020.

Why is there a lack of popular support for political will everywhere?

Public support for legitimacy has reached half in countries other than Australia. Earlier this month, another study made international news, saying leisure reform has the backing of more than 50 percent of Europeans. Two-thirds of voters who support Democrats and just under half of Republicans in the United States support the change. However, this varies from state to state.

For what reason, then, were reforms, including medical ones, delayed everywhere?

Excuses over excuses

At the federal level, there is unacceptable displeasure and jeering almost everywhere. These delays include the excuse that has been made over the past two years that governments everywhere have been overwhelmed by the COVID pandemic or, more recently, by the situation in Ukraine.

That being said, there is evidence that the cause of increased support in polls but a lack of support in politics is that younger people (under 40s) support the renovation of leisure facilities, while older people, who vote frequently , don’t do this. According to a European scientific study, there is no connection at all. Younger people don’t seem to use cannabis as much as older people.

What is currently being observed in Europe, in the US and no doubt in Australia is a reluctance to accept trend opinions from politicians in the country and worse, an enthusiasm to use taxpayers’ money to prop up the prohibition infrastructure, regardless who they might hurt along the way.

Conclusion

Now you may be wondering: When will the tide finally turn if reforms are delayed? Just wait ten years. In certain regions it will be even less.

Unfortunately, the level of suffering experienced by both recreational and medicinal cannabis users, who have been criminalized by outdated policies, is likely to increase during this time. It’s a sad fact, but given human history and psychology, it’s often such egregious injustices that manage to turn the tide in a moment of societal discontent and turmoil. Marijuana reform will no doubt be no exception.

AUSTRALIAN CANNABIS REFORM, READ MORE…

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