Pubdate: Mon, 15 Jul 2013
Source: Northern Star (Australia)
Copyright: 2013 APN News & Media Ltd
Contact: http://www.northernstar.com.au/contact/feedback/
Website: http://www.northernstar.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5149
Author: Marnie Johnston

LEGALISE DRUG TO CURB DRINKING SAYS ALCOHOL RESEARCH EXPERT

THE head of Australia's leading alcohol research body has said that 
marijuana should be legalised in an effort to curb binge drinking.

Director of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, Robin Room, said 
marijuana should be legalised (under strict controls) because the 
social harm associated with it was significantly less than from drinking.

"It makes sense to legalise marijuana in a controlled market," he said.

"We are in a situation where we need to look ahead. I think we need 
to have the discussion and it makes a lot of sense in terms of, among 
others, cutting down government costs to have a fairly highly 
controlled legal (cannabis) market and, while we are at it, tighten 
up the legal market of alcohol in the same way we tightened up the 
market of tobacco."

In a perfect world, Prof Room said teens would not smoke marijuana or 
binge drink, but if an 18-year-old was going to use substances, he 
said they were less likely to get in trouble after using cannabis 
rather than binge drinking.

Alcohol, Prof Room said, had a closer association with aggression and 
violence, loss of co-ordination and impacts on work and family life, 
than marijuana did.

These statements come after the previous weekend's alcohol-fuelled 
crime and violence in Byron Bay, which according to police is now a 
regular phenomenon.

Michael Balderstone, of Nimbin Hemp Embassy, said it's about time 
somebody high up the chain realiSed this and spoke out about it.

"How intelligent of them; totally intelligent and they're totally 
right and it's about time they started getting real," he said, noting 
that Prof Room's comments might also bring some "respect" back to 
cannabis and it's smokers.

"(Marijuana) is not for everyone, and if your family has a history of 
mental illness, be careful, (but) for 99% of people, it's a good experience."

He said the fear that comes with the prohibition of marijuana can 
cause more harm than anything, with the fear of getting caught 
causing more paranoia among smokers than anything else, in his opinion.
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