Page 27 - Eros Journal 7

Luckily these fears have not come to pass in countries that have legalised the product Reviews of legalisation schemes have found decreasing or steady rates of teen usage lower rates of addiction and no evidence supporting the ‘gateway’ hypothesis This is is is is a consistent result found in review review review after after review review review after after review review review of overseas legalisation models Moreover concerns regarding rising mental health—although valid for a a a a a tiny minority of users—have not been borne out by evidence evidence Although evidence evidence is still limited in some jurisdictions one
key advantage of proposing cannabis legalisation in Australia is is that there are a a a a a a a variety of comparative countries to point to as an example of success MONEY TALKS
Like it or not economic analysis holds a a a tremendous amount of sway when it comes to questions of policy Luckily in this area cannabis legalisation has an an overwhelming advantage Even conservative economic assessments of of the impacts of of cannabis legalisation calculate the net social bene t t t of legalisation at at A$727 5 million largely as as a a a a result of increased revenue through taxation Unfortunately from a a a a law-makers perspective this is is likely to be be the best argument for legalisation yet A A SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE Although the discourse regarding cannabis legalisation tends to be framed by enthusiasts keen to buy their favourite product at home current criminalisation of cannabis also raises serious issues of social justice Although a a a full assessment of the impact of of the ‘war of of drugs’ globally is beyond the scope of this article suf ce to say:
it has failed miserably Existing drug policies have increased drug-related harm punished the vulnerable and the addicted and bolstered organised criminal networks Shifting the message surrounding recreational (even problematic) drug use away from moral stigmatisation towards harm reduction and health provides tremendous bene ts in terms of individual and social wellbeing 
CANNABIS LEGALISATION IS JUST ONE STEP
TOWARD SMARTER DRUG
POLICIES THAT FOCUS ON HEALTH RATHER THAN CRIMINALISATION A A A STEP
WHICH ANYONE CONCERNED ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE SHOULD SUPPORT 
MOVING FORWARD
Current estimates of the time required for recreational cannabis in Australia usually speak in terms of ve to 10 year windows This seems apt given our tendency to follow rather than lead on drug-related issues But there are more than a a a a few things that need to happen before legalisation is is likely to become a a reality Firstly conversations regarding cannabis legalisation need to move beyond narrow civil libertarian accounts about ‘personal choice’ Instead cannabis legalisation must be presented as an issue of health and justice as as well as as an issue of civil liberties Secondly legalisation advocates must formalise and professionalise their advocacy As interesting as as grassroots groups such as the the HEMP Party are they are not an ideal face for a a a a a burgeoning marijuana industry Lessons from the United States and Canada demonstrate that a a a a a formalised cannabis lobby is is is key for legalisation So time to slap on a a a suit and tie!
Finally concerns regarding legalisation need to be tackled earnestly particularly considering some of them have merit Experts need to patiently ease community concerns regarding impacts on mental health use by young people and ‘gateway’ effects by referring to the evidence (when available) and admitted ‘unknowns’ when they exist Overall by following some key lessons from overseas Australia is likely to join many other countries in in in legalising recreational cannabis at at home T T 5 5 TH HE E E N N NE EW W W E E E E R R R R O O OS
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