The Guardian reports .
We note that this week we’ve had a senior player in the medical cannabis industry and now the AMC in attack dog mode over cannabis regulation for adults.
Here’s what the AMC think
The peak medical body in Australia says it does not support the Greens bill to legalise cannabis because of the health harms the drug poses, despite other health experts supporting the public health benefits of a regulatory regime.
AMA_submission_Legalising_Cannabis_Bill_2023The Australian Medical Association has released its submission to the Senate inquiry into the legalising cannabis bill, introduced by the Greens senator David Shoebridge in August.
Cannabis is legal for therapeutic purposes in Australia, with health professionals allowed to prescribe cannabis products on a case-by-case basis. But Shoebridge’s bill would legalise cannabis for recreational use among adults and regulate the growing, selling and manufacturing of the drug.
Cannabis remains the most widely used illegal drug in Australia, with more than one in 10 Australians (11.6%) reporting having used it within the last year, according to the most recent National Drug Strategy Household Survey which was conducted in 2019.
The president of the AMA, Prof Steve Robson, said: “Legalising cannabis for recreational purposes sends the wrong signal to the public, and especially to young Australians, that cannabis use is not harmful.”
The submission highlighted the poor mental health outcomes from cannabis use including anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, memory loss and an increased incidence of schizophrenia, as well as physical ill-health conditions such as bronchitis or cancer, cardiovascular system damage and impaired reaction time and brain function.
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