Why it’s high time for drug debate
A ‘grass picnic’ may seem like a laugh, but it’s high time we take the effects of cannabis use seriously
It’s a picnic on grass with a twist. Guests not only need to BYO food, but BYO grass as well. And not the lawn variety.
This Saturday, April 20, Burleigh’s Justins Park will play host to a 420 picnic, in celebration of all things cannabis.
Organised by, of course, the Legalise Cannabis Queensland Party, I had to laugh when I saw the event promoted on social media.
The world sure has changed over the past decade.
Once derided as “devil’s lettuce”, marijuana’s reputation is at an all-time high and pressure continues to legalise cannabis around the globe.
Multiple countries in the past decade have legalised the personal use of the drug, including Canada, Georgia, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, and Uruguay, plus 24 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia in the US.
While medicinal cannabis was legalised in Australia eight years ago, recreational use remains largely illegal across the country, with the exception of the Australian Capital Territory. And recent polling conducted by Essential Media Communications showed half of Australians want cannabis legalised.
But I’m not convinced we should give in to peer pressure.
There is proof that cannabis is linked to a risk of developing a psychotic disorder, including schizophrenia.
As per a study published by World Psychiatry: “There is now reasonable evidence from longitudinal studies that regular cannabis use predicts an increased risk of schizophrenia and of reporting psychotic symptoms.
“These relationships have persisted after controlling for confounding variables such as personal characteristics and other drug use. The relationships did not seem to be explained by cannabis being used to self-medicate symptoms of psychosis.”
Similarly, a huge Danish study published just last year showed that up to 30 per cent of psychosis diagnoses in young men could have been prevented if these individuals had not used marijuana heavily.
Given the state of our city, our country and our world, given the state of our ongoing mental health crisis, given the issues associated with alcohol and other drugs … do we really want to add another risk factor the mix?
Is cannabis worse than alcohol, tobacco or other illicit drugs?
No. In many ways it is significantly less risky.
But that does not mean it carries no risk.
Indeed, shortly after recreational cannabis was legalised in Colorado, hospitals reported higher rates of patients visiting emergency with cannabis and mental health complaints.
In Canada, public health experts say legalisation hasn’t created any health benefits, but it has been linked to some serious concerns, including an increase in hospitalisations … with cannabis-induced psychosis the largest relative increase.
Now, should possessing cannabis be a crime? Absolutely not.
Professor Simon Lenton, from Curtin’s National Drug Research Institute, said legalisation in North America lead to a 75 per cent reduction in the number of cannabis users becoming criminalised, reducing the social impacts of a criminal record in terms of travel, family and employment opportunities.
And this is just one of the arguments as to why cannabis should be legalised.
It’s also proving to be an effective treatment for pain relief or even anxiety, with prescriptions for medical marijuana skyrocketing.
But legalising the drug for recreational use has also led to skyrocketing demand. In Colorado, there are more than 1000 medical and recreational stores – more than McDonald’s and Starbucks combined – with the cannabis industry rapidly ‘adopting the playbook’ of the tobacco and alcohol industries.
So when it comes to the question of legalising cannabis, there is simply no straight answer.
It must be a decision that comes with conditions and regulations.
Which is why It’s time for a clear-eyed debate on this drug … even if it’s no picnic.
“Once derided as ‘devil’s lettuce’, marijuana’s reputation is at an all-time high and pressure continues to legalise cannabis around the globe.