In Australia the regular consumption of cannabis it is more accepted than that of tobacco. This is stated by the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), a survey that is carried out periodically in the country.
From the investigation, which involved approx 20 thousand citizens adults, it emerged for the first time that 20% are in favor of the regular use of cannabis compared to 15% in favor of tobacco. And not only that.
In parallel with cannabis being perceived as a more acceptable substance, the number of citizens inclined to it is growing new restrictions towards tobacco and the number of smokers on a national scale is decreasing.
Also approx 85% of Australians advocates for the law against the supply of tobacco to minors to be more strictly enforced, while around 7 out of 10 believe that the use of electronic cigarettes should be limited in public places.
Decriminalization in Canberra has positively affected the whole country
The decriminalization of cannabis that occurred in Canberra, from January 2020 allows the possession of up to 50 grams of dried marijuana for adults and the possibility of growing 2 plants per person or 4 per family.
In the ACT, the capital territory where cannabis has been decriminalised, around 66% of citizens support its legalization for personal use. At the same time a records of two in five Australians favor legalisation, an increase of 16% over the last decade.
Cannabis is the most used illicit substance in the country and, in a 2016 government survey, a third of Australians over the age of 14 had declared having used it at least once, with around 10% having taken it in the previous 12 months. In fact, around 78% do not think that possession of cannabis for personal use should be a criminal offence.
Finally, support for legalization of marijuana was also expressed at the polls. The small party Legalize Cannabis he garnered between 2% and 7% of the Senate vote in May's federal election in most states and the Northern Territory, despite making no publicity during the campaign.
