A push to legalise recreational weed is being opposed by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) on the basis of health harms.
The leading medical body made its opposition clear in a submission to the senate inquiry today, saying the legislation would send the wrong message and could harm communities.
“The AMA is concerned that if cannabis were legalised for recreational purposes, it may increase health and social-related harms. This in turn may increase demand on an already overstretched healthcare system.
“The AMA is also concerned that people may use recreational cannabis products to self-medicate when Australia already has an existing, high-quality process for assessing the safety, quality, and efficacy of therapeutic products through the TGA.”
The bill was introduced in August by Greens senator David Shoebridge. Although weed is currently able to be prescribed by a doctor for medical purposes, the bill would legalise weed for recreational purposes and would regulate its growing and selling.
It was also estimated to bring the government $28 billion in tax revenue.
Despite its opposition the AMA did say it supported weed use as being treated as a health issue, and said that users should face civil rather than criminal penalties such as counselling and education.
“When cannabis users come into contact with the police or courts, the opportunity should be taken to divert those users to preventive, educational and therapeutic options that they would not otherwise access,” the submission said.
The AMA was also worried that the “cannabis-cafe” style of sales as proposed could normalise use and were not restricted in location, citing reports of vape stores opening close to schools.
The Greens say support for legal weed is high in Australia, even among those who do not consume it themselves. According to the National Alcohol and Drug Knowledgebase, 41 per cent of Australians support legalising personal use, and 22 per cent neither support nor oppose it.
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