Australia, we need to talk!

It's high time we end the war on weed. Here are the 7 main reasons why cannabis should be legalised, and the massive harms of prohibition

TRANSCRIPT

Australia, we need to have a chat - and it’s about marijuana. 

You’ve probably noticed lots of people have been talking about it recently… and there’s good reason. Even if you aren’t interested in weed, this is important. Many world leaders, scientists, and health experts all agree that prohibition has been a massive failure which has helped nobody, but harms thousands of people every year! 

I’ve made a list of the top 7 reasons why prohibition needs to end. And the sooner the better. But first, did you know that about 35% of Australians have tried cannabis? That’s 1 out of every 3 people. And 1 in 10 use it regularly! And yet, it’s a criminal offence to be caught with it!Criminal, like armed robbery criminal. You can go to jail for holding this plant. It’s not a misdemeanour like a speeding fine. This means that 35% of the population are criminals - that's about 7 million people! We really are a nation of convicts! 

Even our Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull has admitted to committing a criminal offence. What he doesn’t realise is that if he had been caught ( like the 66,000 ordinary Australians which were last year) it would have *prevented* him from becoming Prime minister. If you already support the legalisation of cannabis, you probably know that cannabis used to be *legal* in the early 20th century and was one of the most common ingredients in medicines prior to prohibition.

You probably *also* know weed has never killed a single person in history, is less addictive than coffee, and is an effective treatment for dozens of medical conditions. 

(epilepsy, arthritis, nausea, many cancers, Crohn's disease, pain management, PTSD, inflammation, glaucoma, MS, muscle spasms, Tourette’s, Alzheimer's, migraines, anorexia, Parkinson's, diabetes, ALS, sickle cell anaemia, even AIDS.)

The ‘gateway’ myth? Busted! The ‘dope makes you dopey’ theory? Debunked! And dozens of other unscientific, nonsense theories about weed have been repeatedly and conclusively refuted. But don’t just believe me - even a quick read of any reputable research website will show you the debate over weed’s safety is well and truly over. It’s clear that the line between licit and illicit drugs is just arbitrary. Heck, children's panadol has killed and harmed hundreds more people than cannabis. 

The biggest killers by far are tobacco and alcohol which literally kill thousands of Australians every year, and yet they are fully legal and accessible. But unlike weed, they have no medical benefits! 

But I get it… you’re scared of it, or you have friends or family who are scared of it. Especially if they grew up during the reefer madness era of the 70’s and 80’s where the government of the time actually sponsored propaganda which has since been completely refuted by science. All through school, you probably grew up being told weed is evil. And while the reasons the government chose to outlaw it is too in depth for this video here’s a spoiler… it was because of public hysteria, corporate lobbying from the alcohol, paper, and pharmaceutical industries, oh and good old-fashioned racism. 

Also, it wasn’t because Australians wanted drugs banned, it was mostly international peer pressure - yeah, we’re looking at you America. They were like, cmon, try some prohibition, everyone's doing it, you’ll like it. So we did, and now we’re hooked. But wait! Don’t go. This is where it gets important. It’s not just an unfortunate mistake which you can forget about and keep scrolling - the war against weed is actually a devastating policy which destroys lives and the communities it is meant to protect. 

It’s not just an interesting fun-fact, it’s a disgusting injustice which disproportionately affects the sick and the poor. And it needs to end now. Just like alcohol prohibition, it never worked, and caused a lot more harm than good. If you aren’t already convinced. Here are the top seven reasons why cannabis prohibition must end. Education is the key to change, and you can help by liking or sharing this video.

Prohibition hasn’t worked

You see, you can’t arrest your way out of drug use - we’ve tried it, for *80 years*! Yet marijuana is still widely used and easily available. If you look at the stats, prohibition has done nothing but cause harm. We need a new, evidence-based and scientific approach to cannabis, and harm minimisation.

Prohibition has enormous social costs

People often can’t get jobs, loans, and even lovers after getting a criminal record. As Joe Rogan says, “Prison is for rapists, thieves and murderers. If you lock someone up for smoking a plant, that makes them happy, then *you’re* the criminal.”

Prohibition has enormous cost cost

It costs our country millions of dollars every year to enforce drug prohibition. 70% of our drug budget is spent on cannabis, to arrest the 66,000 people every year. All that time and money could be used for real community service. 

Prohibition only benefits actual criminals 

Wonder where Australia's bikie gangs, al qaeda, the mafia, or other gangs get their cash from? Exactly, selling drugs. Because of prohibition, the price is very high, which makes it very good business to sell drugs. Make it legal, however, and you not only put cartels out of business, you make a whole lot of money through tax, which places like Colorado put back into the community and use to pay for treatment. And the thing is criminals don’t care what quality the drugs are, or if they sell to your kids.

Drugs are a health issue, not a criminal issue.

You don't send diabetics or alcoholics to prison. We should be helping people who misuse drugs, not making things worse. When you start treating drug users as patients, rather than criminals, through the health system, rather than the prison system, they actually seek help, they get diagnosed, they get support, they don’t need to resort to crime to pay for their addictions, and they don’t need to risk dangerous unknown cocktails of drugs.  

Education and regulation, not prohibition

When places like Portugal, Canada, Colorado, and many others legalised weed and started focusing on education and healthcare, they saw huge positive effects. It massively reduced their crime rate, overdose rate, usage rates, teenage use, HIV rate, and even money spent on prevention! It’s all about decriminalisation, regulation, and education… that's what slashed tobacco use in the 90’s. 

Experts and science all agree

If I just spent this whole video listing the high profile experts and organisations who campaign for the end to prohibition, I would still run out of time. From the world’s leading research centres to the presidents of the countries most affected by drugs. 

The world health organisation says “prohibition has led to policies and enforcement practices that entrench discrimination and propagate human rights violations, contribute to violence-related criminal networks and deny people access to the interventions they need to improve their health”. The British medical journal says that prohibition is causing ‘Huge harm’. The Adam Smith Institute (one of the world's leading think tanks) says “The only sensible approach is to legalise and regulate cannabis. The war on drugs has failed in its core aims to prevent people from using drugs, manufacturing drugs, and to put a stop to the crime, corruption and death that is taking place on an industrial scale around the world”

Cannabis users are one of the largest persecuted minorities in Australia. When one-third of your population is being criminalised for simply making themselves happier and healthier, without harming anyone else, something is wrong. The government needs to join us here in the 21st century, and start being serious about harm minimisation and getting medicine to the people who need it. After all, we are talking about a naturally occurring flower, not some chemical concoction from a drug den. 

Please, share or like this video to help us change public perception and help end prohibition. Also, tell me what you think in the comments - if you liked this video and you want to see more, let me know by liking my facebook page. Check back here for updates, or subscribe on youtube for notifications. I’ll be covering all sorts of cannabis-related topics.