Sixty-seven per cent of Australians support the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, according to a new survey likely to encourage support among federal MPs who are set to vote on the issue later this year.
“People are suffering. If the bill is passed it offers a chance to regulate and administer correct dosages and compositions, or we can just sit back and watch the black market thrive.”
Palliative Care Australia (PCA) found more than two thirds of respondents – of a sample group of more than 1,000 people – are happy to see cannabis used to assist patients with chronic pain and illness.
The national survey found older people were more supportive of legalisation than the young: 72 per cent of 75 to 84-year-olds are in favour, whereas only 62 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds support the idea.
Only 9 per cent of the respondents oppose the use of medicinal cannabis.
The results will bolster support for legalisation currently before the federal parliament drafted by Greens leader Richard Di Natale and co-sponsored by Liberal, Labor and crossbench senators.
If passed, the bill will make the federal government responsible for overseeing the production, distribution and use of medicinal cannabis.
With a senate inquiry underway into the proposal – reporting back to parliament next month – the bill looks likely to pass into law, particularly given Prime Minister Tony Abbott voiced his support for the move last year.
“I have no problem with the medical use of cannabis, just as I have no problem with the medical use of opiates,” he said.
Former Channel 7 presenter Helen Kapalos – who is completing a documentary on the subject – said the survey’s results came as no surprise.
“The results very much reflect what I have seen around the country. I’ve also noticed far more acceptance in the elderly demographic during the making of my film. Many of those I interviewed remembered cannabis used as a tincture or prescribed before strict prohibition was enforced.
Ms Kapalos told Neos Kosmos it was clear “momentum on this debate is shifting every single day” and that the timing of the federal bill was “hugely significant”, given the widespread illegal use of the drug.
“In most cases it’s ordinary people accessing medical marijuana in its various forms for whom all conventional medicine has failed.”
“People are suffering. If the bill is passed it offers a chance to regulate and administer correct dosages and compositions, or we can just sit back and watch the black market thrive.”
The PCA survey findings were released as Australian company AusCann struck a deal with Norfolk Island to grow high-grade medical cannabis that it will export to Canada – where thousands of people are licensed to use it.