Ganja is a plant used in Australia for recreational and medicinal purposes, with a third reported from all Australians aged 22 years or older (33.5%, about 5.8 million) has tried marijuana and 1 million used it in the past year. An estimated 750,000 Australians use cannabis every week, and about 300,000 smoke every day.
Australia has one of the highest rates of cannabis prevalence in the world, and native Australians have higher rates of cannabis use. Although recreational marijuana use is illegal in Australia, the country has largely avoided punitive drug policies that focus on minimizing hazard strategies and maintenance frameworks embedded in law enforcement. In recent years politicians have given increased support to the legalization of marijuana, with senators and politicians from both sides whose majority of the cabinet "throw their support behind the legalization of medical marijuana".
On February 24, 2016, Australia legalized cannabis drugs at the federal level.
Video Cannabis in Australia
Histori
Sejarah awal
The first note of flaxseed commonly brought to Australia is by the First Fleet at the request of Sir Joseph Banks, which marks the cargo "for trade" in the hope that hemp will be commercially produced in the new colony. For 150 years, the early governments in Australia actively supported the growth of flax with other land and grant prizes, and the consumption of marijuana in Australia in the 19th century is believed to be widespread.
It is popular as a drug, and is used as intoxicating by members of the literati; Marcus Clarke, author of the great Australian novel For the term of his Natural Life, experimenting with cannabis as an aid to writing. A short story he wrote, Cannabis Indica , was written under the influence of cannabis; member of the Melbourne Bohemian Yorrick Club (where Clarke is a member) is a notorious malicious user. By the end of the 19th century, "Cigares De Joy" (cigarette smoking) was widely available; it is claimed to "provide immediate relief in cases of asthma, cough, bronchitis, fever, influenza [and] shortness of breath".
Like many developed countries, Australia first responded to the problem of cannabis use in the 1920s, acting as a signatory to the 1925 Geneva Convention on Opium and Other Medicines that saw the use of marijuana restricted for medical and scientific purposes only. Marijuana is grouped with morphine, cocaine and heroin, despite the rare use of marijuana as a drug or drug in Australia at the time.
This prohibition model is applied with little research on the use of cannabis in Australia. Most drug-related laws passed by Australian jurisdiction during this time were related to opium but, as a result of pressure from the UK, Australia began to implement local laws consistent with the Geneva Conventions. According to McDonald and others, in 1928 the state of Victoria enacted laws prohibiting the use of marijuana; other countries followed slowly over the next three decades.
As in other Western countries, the use of cannabis is considered a significant social problem in Australia; new drug control laws enacted at the state and federal levels, and penalties for drug offenses increased. In 1938, marijuana was banned in Australia as a result of the surprise Reefer Madness campaign; the Smith's Weekly newspaper contains the headline "New Victim-trafficked Drugs". The campaign introduced the word "cannabis" to Australia, describing it as "an evil sex drug that causes its victims to behave like babbling sex maniacs" and "dreaded sex drug marijuana". The campaign was only moderately successful; failing to instill a generation with the false negative effects of the drug and its impact on society, it does not stop increasing demand and usage.
1960s
The 1960s saw an increase in the use of marijuana, heroin, and LSD as part of the political and social opposition to the Vietnam War, and this resulted in most of Australia's countries gradually turning to the orientation of banning and criminal justice. The right-wing Australian politicians such as Queensland Prime Minister Joh Bjelke-Petersen and NSW Prime Minister Robert Askin supported Nixon War on Drugs in America, calling for a crackdown on Australian youth culture. After the fall of the Whitlam government in 1975, these politicians launched the Nixon-style war on drugs in Australia.
In the late 1960s, organized drug trade flourished in Sydney with the arrival of US servicemen on leave from the Vietnam War, and the local drug market expanded to meet their needs. The 1970s was considered the first "drug decade", characterized by an increase in the capacity of public finances to support drug use and increased unemployed youth. As a result, the 1970s was also a decade of the Royal Commission and questions to deal with "drug problems".
In 1964, with the discovery of hundreds of hectares of wild flax growing in the Hunter Valley in NSW, the authorities responded with a massive eradication campaign. However, the baby-boomers of the 60s responded to the "evil threat" in a very different way from the previous generation, with a group of surfers and hippies flocking to the Hunter Territory to search for the weeds described in the report as "powerful psychoactive aphrodisiacs". These groups are known as Weed Raiders - legendary characters, which contain tales of plants up to three meters tall.
1970 to 2000
In 1973, tribal hippies attended the Aquarius Festival in Nimbin NSW North. When police tried to arrest people who blatantly smoke marijuana, a crowd of 6,000 people rioted. Nimbin is home to the Hemp Embassy, ​​founded by pioneer activist Michael Balderstone, and MardiGrass, an annual festival dedicated to cannabis that began in 1993.
According to Jiggens, in 1977 there was more talk of decriminalizing marijuana in New South Wales, after decriminalizing marijuana in nine US states. Joint Committee on Parliamentary Drugs NSW recommends the abolition of prison sentences for personal use of cannabis, and NSW Premier Neville Wran outlines plans to remove imprisonment for convicted persons and for possession of marijuana for personal use. He said that the use of marijuana was widespread and that "tens of thousands of parents whose sons and daughters smoked marijuana" did not want their children to carry "stigma as convicted criminals and convicts".
The disappearance of Donald Mackay's political and community leader in Griffith, NSW, in July 1977 put the issue of the link between illegal drug production, organized crime and police corruption in public; This is due to Mackay's revelation of the large-scale marijuana growing in the Riverina region. His investigation led to the largest seizure of marijuana in Australian history in Coleambally, 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of Griffith, in November 1975. The plantation is spread over 31 hectares (13 ha) and is estimated to produce 60 tonnes of marijuana.. The Royal NSW Commission into the Drug Trafficking (Investigation of Wood) was triggered by the disappearance of Mackay, and the story lived as the famous television miniseries Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities.
In August 1976, the NSW Police conducted a summer raid on the Tuntable Falls Co-operative, which lies south of Nimbin; A few weeks later, the Cedar Bay commune, located in northern Queensland, was raided by Queensland Police. Joh Bjelke-Petersen defended police action (including burning houses in communes), stating he was "hard on drugs". His legs in the Cedar Bay attack were young John Howard (then Minister of Business), who later served as Prime Minister from 1996 to 2007. This would evolve into an international news.
In terms of the wider population, marijuana was not widely used in Australia until the 1970s. Legislation reflects increased use of marijuana; in 1985, the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse was introduced, which was an assessment of illicit drug use among the general public. Prior to 1985, it was concluded that the use of marijuana among Australians increased from the early 1970s throughout the 1980s. In 1994, the Australian National Task Force on Ganja noted that the social dangers of cannabis prohibition outweigh the dangers of cannabis itself.
Donnelly and Hall report that in a survey conducted in 1973, 22% of Australians aged 20-29 reported having used marijuana. This increased to 56% in 1985, and the school survey showed a marked increase in the use of cannabis during the 1970s and 1980s. The increased use of cannabis continued into the 1990s with the 1998 household survey recorded the highest prevalence of marijuana use, with 39% of those surveyed using cannabis at least once and 18% reporting marijuana use last year. In 2001, the age level has fallen to one-third of the population, where it is currently fixed.
2000s
According to Donnelly and Hall, although changes in the desire to divulge the use of illicit drugs and alter survey protocols and designs may have contributed to changes in observed prevalence, the level and consistency of the increase indicate that actual increases in marijuana use have occurred.. Various polls show that Australian public support legalizes marijuana. 2001 The International Narcotics Watch Report notes that the cultivation of hydroponic marijuana in Australia is increasing, as outdoor cultivation declines.
There is currently an increasing interest in hemp in Australia. A recent case in the media detailed a flax planter in the Northern Beaches of Sydney that has planted 500 plants in its backyard legally. The Sydney Morning Herald describes cultivator Richard Friar as a hill evangelist - one who strongly believes in the potentially changing pot of marijuana in the world, which can be used in everything from food to cloth and building materials. With the permission of the NSW Primary Industry Department, Friar and his wife are part of a pilot project that aims to educate farmers about the benefits of hemp for food by-products byproducts. The authors also note that, in December 2009, Friar applied to the New Zealand Food Standard of New Zealand for permission to sell seeds for human consumption; approval is expected. In 2012, flaxseed and protein are readily available for purchase at health food stores, but with labels that say the product is not for human consumption. The Andrews Labor Victorian Government announced in 2015 that medical marijuana will be legalized in Victoria starting 2017.
Maps Cannabis in Australia
Usage
According to J. Copeland of NCPIC and others, marijuana in Australia is generally smoked as a cluster (or "cone") of flowering heads (buds) or resin glands (also known as marijuana) from female plants. Usually, marijuana is smoked using bongs, pipes or joints and is often mixed with tobacco. Cannabis can be eaten or brewed like tea. Cannabis can be baked into foods such as cookies and brownies to digest (during the process of butter-making marijuana for baked goods, boiled marijuana with butter that activates THC recipe recipes using potent and effective cannas). There is an increasing prevalence of electric vapourisers to inhale drugs.
The use of marijuana varies by age, and is most common among Australians in their 20s and 30s. In fact, marijuana was not commonly used in Australia until the 1970s. It has since gradually increased until the late 1990s when it was at its highest usage. From 1998 onwards, it has declined slightly but is still the most commonly used drug in Australia. A pattern of use similar to that in all developed countries with the heaviest use occurred in the early 20s, followed by a steady decline to the 30s. Ninety percent of experimental or social marijuana leisure users do not continue to use the substance every day or for long periods of time; largely discontinuing its use in the late 20s.
According to the 2007 National Drug House Strategy Survey, marijuana is used at least once by a third of all Australians aged 14 or over, and 1.6 million people report using marijuana in the previous 12 months. From 12 to 15 years, 2.7% reported using marijuana in the previous 12 months, compared with 15% from 16 and 17 years and 19% from 18 and 19 years.
Results showed that men 14 years of age or older were more likely than their female counterparts who used marijuana (37.1% versus 30.0%), and one in five adolescents aged 14 to 19 reported having used marijuana. This gender difference is seen in all age groups except age 14 to 19 years, where there is little difference between men and women in terms of lifetime and past usage.
Of the entire population, those aged 30 to 39 are the most likely (54.6%) have used marijuana at some time in their lives. According to McLaren and Mattick, the proportion of lower cannabis use among the older age group compared with younger users is even more noticeable when recent use is assessed; men aged 14 and older were more likely than women who were fit to use cannabis in the previous 12 months (1.0 million and 0.6 million respectively). 12.9% of 14- to 19-year-olds had used marijuana in the previous 12 months; those aged 20 to 29 were the age group most likely to use marijuana in the previous 12 months, with one in five doing it.
According to Hall, although the level of use of cannabis is quite large, most people who use marijuane rarely do so. According to a 2004 household survey, about half of marijuana users recently used the drug less than once a month. However, the recent proportion of cannabis users who use marijuana every day is not considered trivial; it was quoted at 16% by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Those aged 30 to 39 are most likely to use marijuana every day. The 2004 household survey also showed that of all the respondents who used marijuana regularly, the average number of cones or joints sucked in one day was 3.2.
Statistics show that between 1995 and 2007 (after peaking in 1998), the proportion of males and females aged 14 years or older who had used marijuana in the previous 12 months continued to decline. Between 2004 and 2007, the decline was significant. The recent use of marijuana has declined steadily since 1998 and significantly between 2004 and 2007 - from 11.3% to 9.1%, the lowest proportion seen since 1993. Cross-sectoral analysis of household survey data shows the age of initiation to marijuana decline over time. According to the Australian Mental Health Council in 2006, the average age of first use for ages 12 to 19 was 14.9 years - much lower than in previous years.
The percentage of school-age students who admitted the use of Cannabis last year decreased from 32% in 1996 to 14% in 2005. Cannabis is considered relatively accessible in Australia, with 17.1% of the population noting that they are offered (or have the opportunity to use) marijuana.
Indigenous Australians
Historical and social factors have contributed to the widespread use of tobacco and alcohol among indigenous peoples and according to Perkins, Clough and others, the use of illicit drugs (especially marijuana) is higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than people who do not smoke. native Australians.
A little detailed information is available about the use of cannabis in urban or remote native communities. J. Copeland of the NCPIC and others cited the National Household Survey Strategy on Drugs 2001 showing that 27% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander respondents reported using marijuana in the past 12 months, compared with 13% of Australia's indigenous population. However, these results are less likely to report marijuana use in non-urban Aboriginal populations; communities are often small, isolated and highly mobile, making data collection problematic. Little details of what is available to indigenous peoples is primarily derived from targeted studies from several communities in the Upper Edges of the Northern Territory.
Studies that provide information on cannabis use in indigenous populations show a problematic pattern of marijuana abuse that goes beyond what is seen in the major non-indigenous populations. A survey conducted in the mid-1980s by Watson and others failed to detect the use of cannabis in the Top End native community. However, in the late 1990s the Aboriginal Research Council provided information showing that marijuana was used by 31% of men and 8% of women in eastern Arnhem Land. A further study in 2002 found that cannabis has been used regularly by 67% of men and 22% of women aged 13 to 36 years.
As part of the 2004 National Drug Strategy, a survey assessed drug use among indigenous people living in urban areas. The results showed that 48% had tried marijuana at least once, and 22% had used marijuana in the previous year. Regular use of cannabis (at least weekly) is also more common among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities than non-indigenous groups (11% and 4% respectively).
A statewide survey of students in New South Wales showed that marijuana use was significantly higher among native students. The researchers noted that, after adjusting for socio-demographic variables, native students were 1.6 times more likely to have ever tried marijuana than non-native students.
Data explaining the use of marijuana in indigenous populations compared with non-native use vary in the ratio of recent cannabis use to respondents who have used marijuana. In non-native populations, the rate of use of cannabis in the last 12 months was one-third of those who had used marijuana; however, the researchers found only a few percentage points difference between routine and lifetime usage levels in indigenous populations.
According to McLaren and Mattick, the reasons for the high rates of marijuana use among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are complex and tend to be related to the social determinants of drug use. Risk factors associated with the use of hazardous substances are often associated with poor health and social welfare, stemming from the alienation and deprivation experienced by this population. Spooner and Hetherington confirm that many of the social determinants of harmful substance abuse are disproportionately present in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
A survey of drug use conducted in 1997 from two NSW populations of Australian Aboriginal residents found that 38% had used Cannabis
Synthetic marijuana
Prior to June 2011, synthetic marijuana is not relatively well known in Australia, much less known as a household threat to the Australian public. However, a mandatory employee drug test at the Western Australia mine found that 1 in 10 employees consumed the compounds found in synthetic marijuana. Synthetic marijuana is known as a recreational drug that mimics the effects of cannabis. Its popular use compared to naturally grown marijuana is attributed to the fact that users can obtain "legal high", since compounds in synthetic marijuana have not been registered as illegal in the Australian Standard for Scheduling of Drugs and Toxics Uniform [SUSMP] - drug list drug agency in Australia. As a result, the Western Australian government banned seven of the most frequently detected synthetic kanabinoids, followed by the federal government in July of that year, but the ban ends in October 2013.
Due to its popularity among drug users, health professionals began researching the drug. As a result of the study by Drug and Alcohol Review, it was found that 291 of 316 participants reported side-effects in online surveys relating to patterns of synthetic marijuana use. These side effects include panic, vomiting, depression and psychosis and some feel serious side effects to consider seeking medical help.
An additional study conducted with the help of UNSW found that of the 1100 self-reported synthetic narcotics users, 10% of individuals claiming to try synthetic marijuana felt they would die, and 75% said they would not try again.
Legalization and policies
History
In 1913, Australia signed the International Den Haag Convention on Narcotics, and expanded its import control over non-opium medicines. 1921 saw the first international drug treaty (Opium Convention), and in 1925 the Geneva Convention on Opium and Other Medicines saw restrictions imposed on the manufacture, import, sale, distribution, export and use of marijuana, opium, cocaine, morphine and heroin only for medical and scientific purposes.
In 1926 the Commonwealth Government banned the importation of cannabis; in 1928, Victoria passed the Toxic Law and became the first country to control marijuana, followed by South Australia (1934), NSW (1935), Queensland (1937), Western Australia (1950) and Tasmania (1959). In 1940, the Commonwealth expanded import restrictions on Indian flax, including flax-containing preparations.
In 1961 Australia signed the Single International Convention on Narcotics Drugs The Convention supports the obligation to make cannabis available as a medicine. Most state and federal cannabis control of Acts in Australia goes against this.
Professor Robin's Room, Director of the Center for Policy Research on Alcohol, Turning Point Alcohol & amp; Center for Medicine and Professor of Health Population & amp; Chair of the Social Research in Alcohol at the University of Melbourne, published a review on the Australian news website Conversation which proposed a marijuana market that was organized as a way to reduce drinking problems in Australia. The room stated: "It's time to rebalance the law, not only to reduce how much we drink, but also to reconsider whether young researchers, and those around them, might be better off experimenting with other drugs, such as cannabis ".
Proposed discrimination (1970s)
The Joint Parliamentary Committee of NSW 1978 on Drugs supports the decriminalization of marijuana; under the proposal, the personal use of marijuana is no longer a violation and the user will be given bond and probation. Trading in cannabis will bring severe punishment. However, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Medicine recommended in 1979 recommended rejecting decriminalization, concluding that the move would be contrary to the UN Convention on Narcotic Drugs and led to calls for the decriminalization of other drugs. Recommendation is that the consideration of decriminalization is delayed for another 10 years.
In 1985, with background awareness raising at the community and government level about illegal drug use at the national level, the National Campaign on Drug Abuse (NCADA) was established.
Since 1985, national drug policy in Australia is based on the principle of criminalization and minimizing harm; The National Campaign Against Drug Abuse has become a National Drug Strategy. The National Cannabis Strategy 2006-2009 was approved in 2006.
Legal consequences
Australia has largely avoided a punitive drug policy, developing instead of a strategy to minimize hazards and maintenance frameworks embedded in law enforcement regimes. The import and export of marijuana is illegal, and federal penalties apply. Violations may result in life sentences for cases involving import or export of commercial quantities (100 kg and above for marijuana, 50 kg and above for cannabis resin and 2 kg upwards for cannabinoids). Violations for amounts below the commercial quantity have a lower penalty. Federal offenses also target commercial cultivation of marijuana, domestic trade and ownership. However, most of the marijuana offenses committed are handled under state and territory laws.
According to the Council of Ministers on Drug Strategies, the National Drug Strategy and its substance-specific strategies are written for the general Australian population. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Complementary Action Plan 2003-2006 was developed as a supplement to the national action plan so that the plan could be applied to indigenous Australians.
At the national level, there are no incriminating laws relating to cannabis-related offenses; on the contrary, each state and territory enact its own laws. According to Copeland and others, while some jurisdictions enforce criminal penalties for possession, use and supply, others impose civil penalties for minor marijuana offenses. Confidence for criminal offenses will withdraw criminal records and may be punished with imprisonment and harsh penalties. However, civil penalties do not produce criminal records and are generally handled by lower penalties, mandatory treatment programs and diversions. In fact, all Australian states and territories have adopted a system in which nonviolence, minority and early marijuana abusers are diverted from the legal system.
Although abusers and dealers are excluded, the cannabis-warning scheme has been implemented in some states. Offenders issued warning notice rather than face criminal proceedings; The warning system includes an educational component about the dangers of cannabis. Some also contain mandatory counseling or more substantial treatment for repeat offenders.
Australian states and territories
In the Australian Capital Territory, a civil penalty system for small possession of marijuana was introduced in 1993. Ownership of up to 25 g or two non-hydroponic plants withdrew a fine of 100 Australian dollars, maturing within 60 days. Offenders may choose to attend the Alcohol and Drug Program. In South Australia, the possession of marijuana in small amounts has been discriminated against, drawing similar fines to it for parking tickets. However, the punishment for growing marijuana has become more severe since the emergence of widespread large scale cultivation. There is a lot of confusion about this issue, with many people believing that the possession of marijuana in small quantities is legal.
In Western Australia, in August 2011: a person found to have 10g or less of cannabis will receive a Notice of Marijuana Intervention Requirements to attend a mandatory counseling session. Amounts greater than this draw A $ 2000 penalty or two years in prison, or both. A person found to have more than 100 g of cannabis will be considered to have a supply amount and could face A $ 20,000 or two years in prison. It is also illegal for cannabis smoking tools to be displayed in stores or sold, with a fine of up to A $ 10,000 for sales to adults and up to two years in jail or a fine of up to A $ 24,000 for sale to minors. Opposing the political side has accused the government of changing the law to appear tough on drugs in response to growing public fears about the secret drug laboratories after numerous explosions in the suburbs, such as the Lilac Pass Incident.
In New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania, possession and use of marijuana is a criminal offense; However, it is unlikely that anyone caught with a small amount will be punished. These transfer programs in these states aim to redirect offenders to education, assessment and treatment programs. In New South Wales, if a person is caught with 15 g of cannabis, the police policy of up to two warnings may be issued. In Tasmania up to three warnings can be issued for possession of up to 50 g marijuana, with an intervention hierarchy and referral for care with each warning.
Similarly, in Victoria, up to 50 g of marijuana will attract the attention and opportunity to attend the education program (Victoria Cannabis Cautioning Program); only two warnings will be issued. In Queensland, the possession of marijuana or the schedule of 1 or 2 drugs prescribed in the 1987 Drug Abuse Rules has a maximum imprisonment of 15 years; However, the prison term for small holdings is very rare. The ownership of smoking equipment is also a criminal offense in Queensland. However, under the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 people who claim to bring below 50g (and no other offense) should be offered a drug diversion program.
Adults in the Northern Territory find ownership of up to 50 g of marijuana, a gram of hash oil, 10 g of hash seed or marijuana, or two non-hydroponic plants can be fined A $ 200 with 28 days to be redeemed instead of facing criminal charges.
With a rapid expansion in the cultivation of hydroponic marijuana, the Australian Drug Abuse and Trade Act (1985) was amended in 2006; the amount of cannabis planted indoors under hydroponic conditions that qualifies as "commercial quantity" or as "large quantities" is reduced.
In South Australia, the Northern Territory and in the Australian Capital Territory, ownership of less than 100 grams can result in fines of $ 100 to $ 200. In South Australia, fines may also be incurred for the ownership of used bongs or for possession of other used cigarette tools.
Medical use
Use and planting illegal marijuana in Australia without authorization, justification or reason under the law. Medical needs are also a legitimate defense for some people in Australia for example. Clinical trials of marijuana for medicinal purposes have been suggested by some governments. Currently, the only country that started medical trials is NSW, after starting the first trial of three trials in January 2015. This first trial focused on treating severe epilepsy in children. Support for changes in legislation allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes remained relatively unchanged between 2004 and 2007. Two-thirds (68.6%) of respondents in the 2007 NDSHS survey support "changes in legislation allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes" And nearly three quarters (73.6%) support "clinical trials for people to use marijuana to treat medical conditions". Women are slightly more likely than men to support one of these sizes.
A media report dated May 16, 2013 states that the New South Wales parliamentary committee (NSW) has recommended the use of medically prescribed marijuana for severely ill patients and has supported the legalization of cannabis-based drugs on the land. As part of the recommendation, the committee has requested Australian federal government cooperation for a scheme that will allow patients to have up to 15 grams of cannabis. Also, both patients and their carers will be required to obtain a certificate from a specialist, registration with the Ministry of Health and photo identification cards.
The report of the committee, which includes members of the Liberal, National, Labor, Green and Shooters parties, is unanimous, but the document recognizes that the NSW has limited power, as federal laws and bodies such as the Therapeutic Goods Administration regulate drug regulation. Also, the committee does not recommend the use of cannabis for chronic pain or for the decriminalization of marijuana cultivation for personal use. Ellomo Medical Cannabis P/L and Mullaway's Medical Cannabis P/L are two Australian drug marijuana companies, and the first responsible for submission for a NSW parliament inquiry into the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
In February 2014, Tasman Health Cannabinoids filed a drug cultivation and cannabis processing trial in Tasmania in conjunction with the University of Tasmania, approved in principle by then Minister of Labor Health Michelle O'Byrne, but later rejected by the upcoming Liberal Health. Minister Michael Ferguson. The company was then licensed by the Norfolk Island Government to produce medical marijuana, but the license was canceled by the island administrator, Gary Hardgrave.
On October 17, 2015, the Federal Government announced it would legalize marijuana growth for medical and scientific purposes. On February 24, 2016, the Australian parliament made amendments to the Narcotics Drug Act which legalized the growth of marijuana for medical and scientific purposes. Furthermore, the use of drug marijuana was passed at the federal level on November 1, 2016 - as of November 2016, drug marijuana can be prescribed in New South Wales and Western Australia, with all other states and territories except South Australia and the Northern Territory to follow in 2017.
On February 17, 2017, the Office of Drug Control at the Federal Department of Health issued the first Ganja Research license under the drug marijuana provisions of the Narcotics Act 1967.
Supply
Statistics on the prevalence of cannabis use suggest a high demand for the plant. Since kanabis is a plant that is currently still scheduled in Australia, there is a large black market to meet demand.
Prevalence and price
The prevalence of marijuana in Australia shows that this plant is widely available. The New South Wales University's National Drug and Alcohol Research Center Bulletin Trends for October 2009 showed that 58% of cannabis users in NSW believe hydroponically growing cannabis is "very easy" available; 43% believe marijuana that thrives is "very easy" to find. 0% consider hydro cannabis "very difficult" to be found and 5% consider marijuana planted in a bush to be "very difficult" to be found. The results show that the rate for ACT is lower (42% believe hydroponically grown marijuana is "very easy" to find, as is 29% for bush crops, 3% and 7%, respectively, believe that cannabis is "very hard to find).
Victoria shows a number similar to NSW; 66% and 32%, respectively, believe the cannabis "is very easy" to be found and 0% and 3%, respectively, believe it is "very difficult" to be found. Tasmania shows similar statistics. In South Australia fewer people consider marijuana (either hydroponic or shrubs) "very easy" to be found (32% and 37% respectively), with the majority finding it "easy" to be found (46% and 21%). Western Australia reports similar statistics such as South Australia, as does the Northern Territory. Queensland reported statistics similar to NSW with 64% and 56% of respondents reported hydroponic grown cannabis and hemp bushes, respectively, "very easy" to find and 3% and 6%, respectively, considered it "very difficult" to be found.
The majority of cannabis is produced domestically, with outdoor and hydroponic cultivation common in all states and territories. Single and others noted that Australia's climate and the amount of available space are conducive to outdoor cultivation. According to the Australian Crime Commission (ACC), the average price for a gram of cannabis ranges from A $ 20-A $ 35, although prices in remote areas can be much higher. In remote areas of the Northern Territories, for example, the price could reach $ 50- $ 100 for one gram.
According to a recent study (2016). The cost can range from $ 10-15 per gram, much lower than the first estimate.
According to Stafford and Burns, an ounce of hydroponically grown marijuana has increased from A $ 300- $ 320 between 2008 and 2009; an ounce of weeds increased from A $ 200- $ 229. NDSHS noted that one in six Australians reported that they were offered or had the opportunity to use marijuana. The ACC report says that hydroponically grown marijuana is described by 75% of NDSHS 2007 respondents as "easy" or "very easy" to obtain; "bush cannabis" (marijuana that grows outdoors), on the contrary, is unavailable and is reported by more than half of the respondents as "easily" obtained.
Respondents at the National Drug and Alcoholic Research Center (NDARC) October 2009 Drug Trend Bulletin were asked to assess the purity and potency of marijuana. Statistics show that, in general, hydroponically grown cannabis is considered to have high purity and potency (NSW 61%; ACT 54%; Victoria 58%; Tasmania 66%; South Australia 65%; Western Australia 69%; Northern Area 38% 14% low, medium 31%, 17% fluctuate]; Queensland 58%). Cultivated cannabis is considered to have a moderate purity and potency (explained by larger variables in production), with a number of respondents categorizing marijuana planted as poor quality. Respondents reported using marijuana daily or almost daily.
According to NDSHS 2007, 68.5% of cannabis users acquired marijuana from a friend or acquaintance. 4.8% was obtained from a relative, and 19.5% got it from the dealer. 7.2% claimed to have acquired the drug in other ways, including "grow/make/take it yourself".
Seizure and capture
According to the Australian Crime Commission (AKG), marijuana accounts for the largest proportion of arrests and seizures of national illegal drugs in 2007/2008 - 5409 kg (5,409,000 grams) deprived nationally for 12 months, accounting for 64% of confiscated drugs. in Australia. This is equivalent to 41,660 cannabis seizures, or 68% of all seizures. 2007/2008 saw 52,465 marijuana capture, a 7% decrease from the figures for 2006/2007. The majority of arrests continue to occur in Queensland. Although slightly decreased from 2006, marijuana continues to be the most frequently detected drug among police detainees. Self-reporting in this group identifies the hydroponically grown head as the desired and actual form of marijuana used by the majority of prisoners. Furthermore, although the total number of cannabis captures has declined since the mid-1990s, hemp suppliers are still more often caught than other drug suppliers. For example, in 2005-06 more than half of all people arrested for supplying drugs were supplying marijuana.
Advocacy
Support for legalization of illegal drugs declined slightly between 2004 and 2007 and support for legalization for personal use of marijuana decreased between 2004 and 2007, from 27.0% to 21.2%. Men were more likely than women to support legalization (in 2007, 23.8% versus 18.5%). Most states and territories have policies or legislation in places designed to reduce the sentence for possession of marijuana. The goal, according to the Australian Illicit Drug Guide, is to reduce the backlog in the judicial system caused by what is considered a minor breach of marijuana and to transfer offenders into care and counseling.
The mandatory programs operate in Victoria, NSW, ACT, WA and Tasmania as part of the Dark Medicines Initiative. These programs are policy-based approach (not based on law). Most states also have separate warning systems for juvenile offenders.
Culture of hashish
The cannabis community OZ Stoners is "Australia's oldest and largest online marijuana community that started in 1999" and according to their start-up pages is "an ever-growing marijuana of information and related discussions but not limited by medical marijuana, laws and bans, news, books, films, television, hemp equipment, photography, cannabis cultivation, ethnobotany, cooking with cannabis, hobbies... The information and topics discussed in cannabis communities is unlimited [...] as they go beyond their own cannabis topics due to the diversity of Australian cannabis culture ".
Nimbin Hemp Embassy is a non-profit association established in 1992. The purpose of the embassy is to reform the cannabis law through community education programs on hemp and cannabis products and "promote a more tolerant and compassionate attitude to people in general". According to the HEMP Embassy website, "the Nimbin Almost NORML group was formed in 1988 as the first drug law reform clothing in the remaining district and later became Nimbin HEMP - the End of the Marijuana Ban Assistance - later in 1992 the name changed to the Himbos Nimbin HEMP. it discusses the cannabis law of NSW and how they can be changed "
In 1993, as a passive response to police raids in Nimbin and an increasingly negative local reaction, the HEMP Embassy created May Day's "Let It Grow" demonstration and street parade, a celebration and non-provocative form of political action. It became the first MardiGrass, now known as a festival and rally cannabis-law-reform that is held annually in the city of Nimbin.
Australia's Hemorrhaging Donation (HEMP) party has a number of goals, including:
- support candidates in federal election
- legalize cannabis in all states and territories in Australia for
- personal use
- medical and therapeutic use
- industrial use
- collect and disseminate knowledge relating to any or all of the purposes of the Party
- campaign (and lobby) across all sectors of the community
- organize fundraising for Party
- conduct and facilitate research related to any or all of the purposes of the Party
- applying for public funding for election purposes, in accordance with the terms of the Australian Electoral Act (1918) as amended
- do everything that may be necessary, wise or desirable to carry out the purposes of the Party
The purpose of the party center on the decriminalization of both the possession of marijuana in small quantities and the planting of cannabis for personal use, as well as legalizing the cannabis for medical use. A more radical proposal is a "drug-free zone" that will "address the issue of public consumption of cannabis through community policing" and the party supports greater funding for treatment services. In 2001 and 2004, HEMP's National Party President, Michael Balderstone, ran for the Senate candidate. The party did not participate in the 2007 Federal elections because it was registered and could not re-register in time. It's campaigning to enroll more members, in order to qualify to sign up again.
Following in the footsteps of the Cannabis Cup in the Netherlands, the Cannabis Cup in Australia is a competition run by MardiGrass to assess marijuana. Farmers handed over samples of their crops for grading and the Olympic Games of Hemp, held at MardiGrass, including events such as bong throwing, coiling and Ironperson competitions, which required participants to crawl through the lantana tunnel dragging large fertilizer bags.
Some of the Cannabis street names in Australia are Mary Jane, dope, smoko, green, sesh, chop, spliff, honk, marijuana, yarndi, mull, hydro, green action, head, hooch, weeds, joints, cones, laugh lucerne, chronic and 420.
Australians are even beginning to transition to take advantage of online space while accessing and buying their favorite marijuana accessories. Online trends are different from one city to another, and per capita, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Launceston are looking online; followed by Toowoomba, Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast. As far as the most online looking marijuana accessories, Australians are very interested in shopping bong because they make 72% search, while the vaporizer reaches 15%. The higher quality method of swallowing smoke or steam smoke is followed by 10% pipe and rolling paper is only 3%.
See also
- National Center for Ganja Prevention and Information Center
- Summary of Australia's cannabis law
General:
- Cannabis (medicine)
- The effects of cannabis
References
Further reading
- Social History of Drug Control in Australia, Research Paper 8, Royal Commission on the Use of Non-Medical Drugs of South Australia, 1979 (Sackville Commission)
- Shared Torch
- Tony Bogdanoski, "Accommodating medical use of marijuana: surveying different legal approaches in Australia, the United States and Canada" (2010) 17 Journal of Law and Medicine 508.
- Tony Bogdanoski, "A dose of human rights: an antidote to the criminal prohibition of marijuana for medical purposes?" (2009) 33 Criminal Journal 251.
- Charles Martin, "Medical Use of Cannabis in Australia: defense of 'medical needs' under current Australian law and road to reform" (2014) 21 (4) Journal of Law and Medicine 875.
External links
- National Center for Ganja Prevention and Information Center
- National Center for Drug and Drug Research
- HEMP Embassy
- HEMP Political Party
- OZ Stoners 'Australian Cannabis Community'
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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