Cannabis should be regulated to smash the drug's $5 billion criminal market and prevent small-time users from being charged, such as Mayfield's Kerry Ann-Taylor.
So says the Penington Institute, a drug reform body, that released a new discussion paper on Wednesday calling for an end to people being criminalised for cannabis use.
The latest NSW crime data shows 5302 incidents of use or possession of cannabis in the Hunter in the past five years.
Over that period, there were 201 incidents of dealers or traffickers caught in the region.
The Penington paper, titled "Cannabis Regulation in Australia: Putting community safety first", said "law enforcement resources are currently focused on small-time personal possession and use".
This constrained the ability to "focus on the criminal network behind the illegal drug trade".
The paper calls for a regulated cannabis market to "protect health, limit underage access, assure quality and safety and reduce misdirected government expenditure".
Mrs Taylor, 62, was charged with a cannabis offence last October, after police found a plant grown in her Mayfield backyard for personal use.
"I had called the police on another matter," Mrs Taylor said.
"I had to go to court and the charges were dismissed."
Mrs Taylor uses cannabis for health reasons.
"I had a car accident in 1995 and have no tailbone. I was bashed and robbed in Sydney in 2002, so I have damage to my neck," she said.
"I have a lot of pain issues, I have degenerative disc disease and neuropathy in my feet is bad at night, so sleeping is an issue. They had me on sleeping tablets."
Doctors also prescribed her pharmaceuticals such as opioids, benzodiazepines and antidepressants.
"I was on antipsychotics because of the side effects of the other drugs," she said.
Penington Institute CEO John Ryan said regulating cannabis would "reduce the harms being shouldered by those we should be striving to help".
Mr Ryan said Australia should be doing more to "reduce the power and influence" of organised crime gangs that make millions off cannabis.
He said law enforcement had failed to deter "cannabis availability and consumption" and prevent "a trend toward higher potency cannabis".
"This approach is not working. It is piling harm upon harm," he said.
"It simply generates thousands of arrests for low-level offences, which disproportionately impacts people in lower socio-economic regions."
Some academics and medicos have criticised cannabis as lacking evidence for various health conditions, but others support its use.
In response to a proposed bill to legalise cannabis for recreational use, the Australian Medical Association said last year that the drug "can have a range of negative health impacts".
"We see poor mental health outcomes from cannabis use including anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, memory loss and an increased incidence of schizophrenia," AMA president Professor Steve Robson said.
Mrs Taylor questioned why the medical establishment wasn't talking more about the side effects of pharmaceuticals.
"Pharmaceuticals were leading me to suicide, as I could not get control of my pain. I had a major addiction to them," Mrs Taylor said.
"I don't have any of that now. I use cannabis as needed," she said.
She believed all cannabis use was medicinal "because it feeds the endocannabinoid system" and "promotes homeostasis".
"Without that, the pharmaceutical companies make a fortune."
- For help, contact Family Drug Support's 24-7 helpline on 1300 368 186, the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015 or Lifeline 13 11 14.
