.svg) Location of Australia (dark green) | |
| Medicinal | Legal |
|---|---|
| Recreational | Illegal federally Decriminalised in the Australian Capital Territory |
| Hemp | Legal |
| Part of a series on |
| Cannabis |
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Cannabis is a plant used in Australia for recreational, medicinal and industrial purposes. In 2022–23, 41% of Australians over the age of fourteen years had used cannabis in their lifetime and 11.5% had used cannabis in the last 12 months.[1]
Australia has one of the highest cannabis prevalence rates in the world.[2]
On 24 February 2016, Australia legalised growing of cannabis for medicinal and scientific purposes at the federal level.[3]
On 12 November 2017, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) made low-THC hemp food legal for human consumption in Australia.[4]
On 25 September 2019, the Australian Capital Territory passed a bill passed a bill allowing for possession and growth of small amounts of cannabis for personal use as of 31 January 2020, although the laws conflict with federal laws that prohibit recreational use of cannabis and the supply of cannabis and cannabis seeds are not allowed under the changes.[5]
Attitudes towards legalising recreational cannabis in Australia have shifted over the last decade. According to polling by the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) in 2019, more Australians now support legalisation of cannabis than remain opposed. In 2019, the survey reported that 41% of Australians supported the legalisation of cannabis, 37% remained opposed, and 22% were undecided. In the 2022–2023 NDSHS support for the legalisation of cannabis rose to 45%.[6] There have also been some associated changes in public perceptions about other cannabis-related policies. For example, the majority of Australians aged 14 years and over do not support the possession of cannabis being a criminal offence (74% in 2016 compared with 66% in 2010).[7] In 2019 this rose to 78%, before rising again to 80% in 2022–2023.[8]
- ^ "National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–2023: Cannabis in the NDSHS". Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "Drug Use and health consequences". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ "Medical marijuana is now legal in Australia". Business Insider Australia. 24 February 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ "Hemp food legal from Sunday". Food. 9 November 2017. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ "Cannabis". Australian Capital Territory Government. 19 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NDSHS, 2022–2023was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "It's finally official, more Aussies want legal cannabis than oppose it". Cannus. 15 July 2020. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ "Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia". aihw.gov.au. Australian Government. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
The majority of Australians aged 14 years and over (80%) do not support the possession of cannabis being a criminal offence, which is higher than the 78% reported in 2019 (AIHW 2024b, Table 11.15).