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2014/02: Should Australia legalise the sale and consumption of marijuana?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right:On January 2, 2014, Sunrise On 7 ran a segment on whether Australia should follow the lead of Colorado and Washington State and legalise the distribution and use of marijuana. The segment includes interviews with experts with opposing points of view. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because video is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows viewing of video clips.
What they said...
‘Use of cannabis at a young age and heavy use of cannabis are associated with up to six times the risk for schizophrenia’
The Australian National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre
‘Despite its use by millions of people over thousands of years, cannabis has never caused an overdose death’
Professor Lester Grinspoon, former Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
The issue at a glance
On January 2, 2014, the president of the Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party, Michael Balderstone, called for a referendum on whether Australia should legalise the sale and consumption of marijuana. Mr Balderstone believes that such a referendum would result in the legalisation of the drug across the country.
Mr Balderstone’s demand was made in response to a recent change to the law in the American state of Colorado, where the sale of up to 28 grams of marijuana became legal on January 1, 2014.
Those Australian political leaders who have responded to Mr Balderstone’s call have been dismissive of it. Victoria's Acting Premier, Peter Ryan, rejected suggestions marijuana would be sold legally in his state. Mr Ryan stated, ‘Absolutely not a chance.’
In November, 2013, the New South Wales government rejected the recommendation of a cross-party committee that the terminally ill be able to access marijuana for medical purposes.
Supporters of the legalisation of marijuana claim the views of governments are out of kilter with those of a majority of Australians.