Pubdate: Sat, 19 Apr 2014
Source: Nelson Mail, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2014 Fairfax New Zealand Limited
Contact:  http://www.nelsonmail.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1069

SURVEY SHOWS NATION OF CANNABIS SMOKERS

Questions about cannabis law reform are again being posed, with a 
survey revealing that most users would not use more if the drug became legal.

The Global Drug Survey, conducted in partnership with Fairfax Media, 
shows that we are a nation of cannabis smokers, with more than a 
third of the almost 6000 respondents having used it in the past year.

Respondents were also asked about their attitude towards legalising 
drugs, and how their behaviour would change if the law was amended.

More than 50 per cent said they would not drink more or use more 
drugs if small amounts of cannabis were made legal, while 20 per cent 
also said they would be happier about disclosing their use.

A quarter said they would be more comfortable seeking help for a drug 
problem and almost 30 per cent of cannabis users said they wanted to use less.

Several countries have recently moved to reform their cannabis laws, 
with Uruguay legalising the drug. The state of Colorado in the United 
States has made it legal to grow, possess and consume cannabis in private.

Waikato University academic Bill Cochrane, an associate researcher at 
the National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis, said 
cannabis use had not increased since the late 1970s, and he would be 
staggered if that changed because of legalisation.

At the moment the drug was controlled by criminal elements, which 
exposed everyday users to risk, and New Zealand needed to "grow up" 
in its approach to cannabis, he said.

Fairfax NZ
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom