Support For Marijuana Legalization In Australia Nearly Doubles In Six Years

More than four out of 10 Australians are in favor of legalizing cannabis according to a national survey, indicating a level of support for legal marijuana that has nearly doubled in just six years.

A group of Australian researchers analyzed results of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, a nationwide survey of public attitudes about drug use. Conducted every two to three years since 1985, the survey was last completed in 2019.

Drawing on data collected from the survey over six years, the researchers found in a study published by the journal Drug and Alcohol Review that support for legalizing cannabis in Australia stood at 41.1% in 2019, up from 25.5% in 2013. Don Weatherburn, a professor at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, said that the spike in support for legal marijuana may be connected to the increase in cannabis use in Australia. In 2019, 38.1% Australians reported that they had used cannabis at some time in their lives, up from 33.5% in 2001.

“It’s gradually become more prevalent, probably because the law has become less draconian,” Weatherburn told The Guardian. “Most states now have some form of cannabis cautioning scheme, which makes the drug somewhat less stigmatized than it had been back in the 80s and 90s.” [Read More @ Forbes]