A new government survey in Australia has found that more than 40% of Australians want legal weed.
Researchers had found that Aussies had significantly increased their support for legalising weed for personal use with the percentage rising from about 25 per cent in 2013 to 41 per cent in 2019.
The survey results, which appeared in journal Drug and Alcohol Review, were co-authored by Professor Don Weatherburn, who told the Guardian he believed more widespread use meant potheads (reformed or otherwise) were beginning to filter into the professional and political worlds.
“It’s also partly true that the people who first tried cannabis are now in positions of authority in and around government and major institutions,” he told the outlet. Citing the US, he added, “where they had very harsh laws against cannabis to a situation now where you can legally sell it in many of the American states”.
Weatherburn believs the the increase may be linked to growth in marijuana use.
The proportion of people who say they have used cannabis at some point in their lifetime has increased slightly over the last 20 years: 33.5% in 2001 up to 38.1% in 2019.
“It’s gradually become more prevalent, probably because the law has become less draconian,” Weatherburn said. “Most states now have some form of cannabis cautioning scheme, which makes the drug somewhat less stigmatised than it had been back in the 80s and 90s.
The survey also found that support for other illicit drugs was much lower.
“Support for legalising ecstasy and cocaine, although still low, has risen significantly since 2013,” Weatherburn said. In 2019, the proportions of people who wanted to legalise ecstasy and cocaine were 9.5% and 8.1% respectively.
