Sun 31 Jan 2021

Dire warnings of legal loopholes, a mental health crisis and drug driving fears accompanied the legalisation of cannabis in the ACT last year.

But one year on, cannabis users and stakeholders alike say that, while overall the impacts have been subtle, the change has been for the better.

"Overall, we found cannabis use hasn't changed and, in some ways, that's the big story, because there were really dire predictions at the outset," Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Association ACT chief executive Devin Bowles said.

"The sky hasn't fallen and people who need to access treatment are better able to do so while the taxpayer is saving money. It's a win-win."

So what changed a year ago?

The legislation changed the laws governing personal possession, use and cultivation of cannabis in Canberra.

Coming into effect on January 31 last year, the new laws allowed possession of up to 50 grams of cannabis per person, and made it legal to grow and consume cannabis in your own home.

The plants must be grown outdoors and there is a limit of two plants per person and four per household.

While possession and cultivation became legal, buying the seeds and supplying cannabis or cannabis plants to anyone remained illegal.

Simple cannabis offences drop by 90 per cent

ACT Policing figures show the number of Simple Cannabis Offence Notices issued in 2020 dropped by almost 90 per cent — down from 56 to 5.

Interstate residents and ACT under-18 residents can still be charged.

Police figures also show there have been no standalone small amount cannabis possession offences recorded since the new legislation came into effect.

Drug driving offences remained steady.

Detective Acting Superintendent Callum Hughes said ACT Policing had no significant issues in implementing the new cannabis laws.

No increase in hospital visits recorded

Another serious concern about the laws centred on the physical and mental health effects of recreational cannabis use.

But ACT Health data shows there has been no increase in hospital presentations since the laws passed.

Between February and December 2019 there were 31 cannabinoid-related presentations to Canberra Emergency Departments, representing 5.4 per cent of total illicit-drug-related presentations in that period.

During the same period after the laws passed, there were 32 cannabinoid-related presentations, 5.2 per cent of all illicit-drug-related presentations.

Cannabis usage remains at steady rate

"Because cannabis usage rates were not affected by legalisation, the flow-on effects through mental health haven't happened and what's more, people who need treatment are able to get it more openly," Dr Bowles said.

New laws 'not perfect', but beneficial for users

Canberra resident Dave is a casual cannabis user and believes the new laws have had a positive impact.

He said one of the biggest benefits was on the way people perceived cannabis users, which he believed was encouraging problem users to seek help.

But Dave does not think the law is perfect, and said the rules around roadside drug testing need to be reformed to better measure the intoxication level of the driver.

"It's simply the presence or absence of it that defines whether you've committed a crime, and they don't consider whether you're impaired, as with alcohol testing," he said.

"It is really a hole in the legislation."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-31/what-has-changed-since-cannabis-was-legal...

Its been pretty legal in SA for a while, they can grow a dope plant for their own use.

Alcohol is a thousand times worse than weed.

The trouble with weed is some people turn into vegetables and get fat because they get the munchies all the time. 

Johnnie wrote on Feb 18^th, 2022 at 7:33am:

The munchy myth is just that, a myth.
Far greater dangers come due to the nature of the black market . Large scale illegal growers have learnt to manipulate both the genetics and growth behaviour of maryjane. Genetic manipulation has created a potent plant with unprecedented amounts of the psychoactive component at the expense of natural tranquillising ingredients. More sinister is the use of Gibberellic acid (also called gibberellin A3, GA, and GA3) to accelerate growth , increase head whilst inducing simultaneous flowering on all plants in a single plot. We now have a far more carcinogenic drug than ever before (

when both smoked and eaten

). Best grow your own from plants of known genetics avoiding the dangers of pushing mother nature where she shouldn’t go.