Support for cannabis to be decriminalised
NEW government data revealing Tasmania’s overwhelming support for the decriminalisation of cannabis couldn’t have come sooner, according to a peak drug support network.
Data released in the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, Australia’s Attitudes and Perceptions Towards Drugs by Region, revealed 83.3 per cent of Tasmanians surveyed do not believe possession of cannabis for personal use should be a criminal offence. Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council Tasmania CEO Alison Lai said the release was timely given the current consultation process surrounding the Tasmanian government’s proposed Tasmanian Drug Strategy 2022-2027.
“We have said just this week the proposed strategy needs further work and should not be endorsed in its current form,” she said.
“One of our principal concerns about the strategy’s development is the lack of connection with the Tasmanian community.
“The data … confirms what our organisation has been saying – that attitudes and expectations are changing in regard to how Tasmanians want the government to respond to drug use in their community. There is clearly a desire for more contemporary, health-based drug policy responses.”
The data set taken from 2019 also showed 42.6 per cent of those surveyed supported the legalisation of cannabis, 36.9 per cent were against and 23.7 per cent were indifferent.
The data also showed 7.5 per cent of respondents would be likely to try cannabis if it were legalised but only a small amount would use it more often than they already do. The survey canvassed the public’s perception on a range of drugs and associated policy. It showed 61 per cent of Tasmanians supported pill testing in Hobart. Launceston was at 54 per cent of people in support followed by the North-West Coast at 45 per cent. There was also support for a health response, instead of a legal one, to illicit drug possession for personal use for drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine.
Ms Lai believed a number of the findings would have shifted further since 2019 when the data was collected.
“Particularly in support for the decriminalisation of illicit substances such as cannabis,” she said.
Public consultation for the Tasmanian Drug Strategy 2022–2027 closes on Monday. According to the state government, the strategy will provide a framework to “guide collaborative action across the government and community sectors”; and “help organisations to consider the impacts of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use and harm when making policy decisions”.