Decriminalising cannabis could save Australian taxpayers $850m a year, report finds
New public health research says Australia’s prohibition approach to marijuana is not keeping pace with global best practice cannabis policy
The Guardian (UK)
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Australia is not keeping pace with global best practice cannabis policy, a report from the public health research organisation the Penington Institute has found, with decriminalisation predicted to save taxpayers around $850m each year. With more than 90% cannabis-related charges since 2010 being for personal use or possession offences, the Cannabis in Australia 2022 report, published on Thursday, found that criminalising people who use cannabis costs Australian taxpayers $1.7bn a year in law enforcement costs. According to the report, 702,866 people have been arrested for cannabis-related offending in Australia since 2010, with nine out of 10 of these arrests for personal use or possession.
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