Legalising cannabis gets the green light from growing number of Aussies
About half of 70,000 Aussies surveyed about the classification of cannabis said they believe marijuana should be made legal nationwide.
Medicinal marijuana is only legal if the user has a prescription in all states and territories excluding the ACT, where using and selling was legalised in 2020.
A survey by market research company Roy Morgan revealed 48 per cent of respondents believe cannabis should be legal – up 15 per cent from a decade ago.
Men were more inclined to back the legalisation of marijuana, with 51 per cent of men voting it should be legal compared to 45 per cent of women.
Up to 54 per cent of 18 to 49-year-olds supported the legalisation of the drug while 51 per cent of middle-aged Aussies, aged 35 to 49, were in favour.
Support was highest in the Northern Territory, 57 per cent, and the ACT, 56 per cent. Only 41 per cent of respondents want marijuana to remain an illegal drug in Australia.
'With nearly half of Australians now in favour, the national mood has shifted significantly over the past decade,' Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said.
'While younger adults lead the charge for change, notable opposition remains, especially among older and teenage groups.'
The Legalise Cannabis Party said the latest findings weren't surprising.
'According to the latest National Drug Strategy Household survey, 80 per cent of the population believe that possession of cannabis should not be a criminal offence,' the party's campaign manager Suzette Luyken told Daily Mail Australia.
'The party believes that a staged implementation is the best way to achieve acceptance.
'People should be free to grow their own cannabis and not be forced to be reliant on expensive, unregulated, imported products when it comes to their physical and mental wellbeing.'
In 2023, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) provided a submission to a Senate inquiry opposing the legalising cannabis bill.
AMA President Professor Steve Robson argued the drug had a range of negative health impacts and any increase in use could impact Australia's health system.
'Legalising cannabis for recreational purposes sends the wrong signal to the public, and especially to young Australians, that cannabis use is not harmful,' he said.
'We see poor mental health outcomes from cannabis use including anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, memory loss and an increased incidence of schizophrenia.
'Cannabis use can lead to physical ill-health conditions such as bronchitis or cancer, cardiovascular system damage, and impaired reaction time and brain function.'
Marijuana has noted positive health outcomes such as treating nausea and chronic pain but can damage the lungs and cause cognitive problems.
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