Latest news with #MicheleLevine
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Legalising cannabis gets the green light from growing number of Aussies
A growing number of Australians believe medicinal marijuana should be legalised, marking a significant shift in the national mood towards the drug. 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.
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Proof the Albanese government's vaping ban is a failure
New data has revealed a sharp rise in smoking and vaping among young Australians, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the Albanese Government's vape crackdown. Australians aged 18 to 24 now have the highest rate of smoking or vaping of any age group, with 28 per cent (700,000 people) reporting they engage in one or both habits. That's up from 25.1 per cent (620,000) in September 2024, a steep 2.9 percentage point rise in less than a year. Vaping alone is now undertaken by 20.5 per cent (510,000) of this age group, up from 19 per cent (470,000). It marks the highest vaping rate recorded for young adults since early 2024. More worryingly, there has been a significant jump in factory-made cigarette (FMC) use. In the same period, the proportion of 18- to 24-year-olds smoking FMCs climbed from 8.2 per cent (200,000) to 11.1 per cent (280,000). Use of roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco also ticked up slightly, from 7.1 per cent to 7.6 per cent. The rise comes despite the federal government's sweeping vape legislation, which came into effect on July 1, 2024. The laws banned the importation, production, supply, advertisement, and commercial possession of disposable, non-therapeutic vapes. However, the latest figures from Roy Morgan suggest the policy has had minimal impact on curbing nicotine use, and may even be pushing young people toward more harmful tobacco products. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said the data paints a worrying picture. 'The legislation was phased in starting from July 2024, but the data clearly shows that it has failed to reduce the overall incidence of smoking and vaping,' she said. 'In fact, rates are now higher than they were during the latter half of last year, and the raw number of Australians who smoke or vape has increased.' Overall, 17.1 per cent of Australians aged 18 and over now smoke cigarettes, RYO tobacco, or vape—up from 16.8 per cent at the end of 2024. That equates to an additional 110,000 people, bringing the total number of smokers and vapers to 3.7 million. The increase follows a low point in usage recorded just months earlier, and has been driven largely by a resurgence in factory-made cigarette use. Between September 2024 and now, the number of Australians smoking FMCs rose from 7.9 per cent (1.67 million) to 8.3 per cent (1.79 million), an increase of 120,000. Vaping rates, meanwhile, saw only a modest decline. Currently, 7.5 per cent of the adult population (1.61 million) vape, down just 0.2 percentage points from September 2024. Notably, the rise in smoking and vaping is not mirrored across all age groups. While rates jumped among 18-to 24-year-olds, they declined in several other demographics. Usage fell by 0.7 per cent among 25-to-34-year-olds, 0.4 per cent in the 50–64 bracket, and 0.2 per cent among those aged 65 and over. No change was recorded for people aged 35 to 49. The figures suggest the government's efforts to restrict access to non-therapeutic vapes have been a failure, particularly for younger Australians. The crackdown failure also points to the rise in illegal tobacco shops, which are surging in number across the country, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, there are now 60 tobacco retailers for every McDonald's restaurant in New South Wales, many operating outside the law. In response, the NSW Opposition announced plans on Sunday to introduce new legislation aimed at tightening enforcement and targeting the black market trade in tobacco and vapes. NSW Shadow Health Minister Kellie Sloane said the government's lack of action was allowing organised crime to flourish. 'We can't risk a new generation getting hooked on cheap cigarettes and destroying their health because the Minns Government failed to act on enforcement and tougher penalties,' she said.
