IT’S TIME TO TAKE A LOOK AT CANNABIS

THE latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures show overwhelming public support for the decriminalisation of cannabis for personal use. In Tasmania, the survey showed that 83 per cent of those asked were in favour of such a measure. Support nationally was about 78 per cent.

The debate over legalising one of the most commonly used illicit drugs has waxed and waned over the years. The topic isn’t broached by the Draft Tasmanian Drug Strategy 2022-2027, which is presently in its consultation stage.

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Tasmania, and this has not changed over time – 11.9 per cent in 2001 and 12.6 per cent in 2019. As anyone who attended Dark Mofo and was equipped with a pair of nostrils could attest, it continues to be widely available and its use is not the subject of any particular social stigma.

Australia’s approach to drug use has long been one of harm minimisation. It is well known that legal drugs – chiefly alcohol and tobacco – have long been understood to cause by far the most harm in Australia. The harm caused by alcohol costs the Australian community an estimated $66bn annually. On one estimate, the cost of tobacco use is upwards of $139bn.

By contrast, cannabis use is estimated to cost the nation $4.5bn annually. It is important to note that half of this is estimated to relate to the criminal justice system and the policing of cannabis use.

The criminal justice approach to the use of cannabis has been ineffective for many decades. The Australian Capital Territory has decriminalised the possession and use of small quantities of the drug since 2020.

“We know people in the ACT use cannabis,” the government’s website says. “We want to encourage people to get the support they need through our health system and not be forced through the justice system.”

It is a valid point. In many cases, for those whose use of cannabis brings them into contact with the justice system, the greatest harm they suffer is likely to come not from their use of the drug, but rather from the effect of the criminal sanctions they suffer.

For a drug that carries little social stigma, the real effect of a conviction still carries with it the potential for real harm through not just the initial sanction but the ongoing effects on employment prospects and overseas travel for instance.

Progress of law reform surrounding cannabis use in this state has been slow. It is certain that the police and judicial resources devoted to this supposed scourge could be better spent on other priorities. It is time for Tasmania to seriously consider following the ACT’s lead.