Only 7% of Australians surveyed for their views on medical marijuana said they were opposed to the drug being made legal for medicinal purposes, a new survey shows.
In a poll released by Roy Morgan Research on Monday, 644 Australians aged 14 and above were asked: “In your opinion should the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes be made legal or remain illegal?”
Most – 91% – said it should be made legal, while 2% were unsure. The strongest support for legalisation came from the 50-plus age group, with 94% of respondents in favour. The age group least likely to support it were 14-to-24 year-olds, but even so, 85% of that group said it should be legalised for medicinal use.
Michele Levine, the CEO of Roy Morgan Research, said it was not surprising that Australians aged 50-plus were the strongest supporters.
“This group is most susceptible to several of the conditions that medicinal marijuana can provide relief from: Parkinson’s disease, cancer, glaucoma and more,” she said.
“It should also be noted that the special telephone survey found that only one third of the population believes that the smoking of marijuana should be made legal. This demonstrates that Australians understand that smoking and consuming marijuana for medicinal purposes are two very separate issues.”
Sussan Ley, the federal health minister, announced earlier this month that she would seek parliamentary support to change the Narcotics Drugs Act of 1967 to create a regulatory body to oversee the cultivation and importation of medical marijuana for state trials.
This would make it easier for researchers in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales – where clinical trials for the use of medicinal marijuana have been announced – to obtain the plant locally.
