Chris Drabsch English Persuasive SpeechLegalisation of Marijuana

Good afternoon everyone, I am honoured to be a keynote speaker today at the 19th annual MardiGrass festival here in Nimbin. I am a university professor from QUT who has extensively analysed and documented Australia s illicit drug trade and its widespread effects. Today I will be discussing the benefits of legalising marijuana. I believe that legalisation and taxation of marijuana would result in better regulation of the product as well as a significant decrease in the ruthless criminal trade that surrounds it. Marijuana is Australia s most commonly consumed illegal drug, and its detrimental effects are far less than those of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines and to a lesser extent; tobacco and alcohol both of which are legal and the latter of which has an extremely large presence in Australian society of all levels. Many of the supposed detrimental health effects attributed to marijuana were researched using primates given extremely large doses of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC (the active ingredient in marijuana). These doses were much more than a human user could physically ingest, and therefore present unrealistic data (How to Pass Marijuana Tests, 2002, p. 1). There is evidence of cultural and religious-based consumption of marijuana by humans up to 6000 years ago; however it has only been illegal for about 1% of this time(Amsterdam Cannabis Seeds, 2010, p. 1). The major issues that arise from current marijuana use are on the supply side of the chain, rather than the consumption. The global War on Drugs largely credited to Richard Nixon has caused many problems; while doing little to actually decrease the use of marijuana. Severe police crackdowns on the drug such as the 1976 raids that were ordered by then premier of Queensland Johannes Bjelke-Petersen served to push the supply of marijuana from amateur drug enthusiasts into the hands of more hard-core and violent criminal gangs(Jiggens, 2005, p. 3). A marijuana drought caused by these crackdowns also led to a heroin plague (Jiggens, 2005, p. 3), where recreational users began to take heroin instead, not knowing how much more dangerous and addictive a drug it was. The toughening of drug laws also resulted in a large increase of the street price of marijuana, which made the market additionally appealing to more organised and ruthless criminal groups(Jiggens, 2005, p. 4). From January 1976 to December 2000, close to one and a half million drug offences were prosecuted (Jiggens, 2005, p. 7), many of which were made against marijuana users who were otherwise law abiding citizens. On top of this; when Queensland police burned down the houses of citizens in a hippie-commune at Cedar Bay in 1976, the brutal action was justified by the premier who claimed he was Tough on Drugs (Jiggens, 2005, p. 3). Figures suggest that thirteen billion dollars was spent on drug prohibition in the period between 1976 and 2000(Jiggens, 2005, p. 9). What we must ask ourselves is if all of these ripple effects can be justified by the social effects of a member of society consuming marijuana in the comfort of their home. I believe they cannot. Legalising the consumption of marijuana would rid society of the negative impacts of the crime surrounding the trade. And taxation would fund the government with revenue that could be invested in promoting awareness of the rare but possible psychological effects that heavy consumption of THC can have on some people, such as schizophrenia and paranoia. This may seem contradictory to the reasons for legalising marijuana, however if we are to face the facts we will see that people are going to consume marijuana regardless of prohibition. If these awareness programs were to be instigated as the current situation stands then the government would be seen to be supporting the use of marijuana anyway which would present a , political stalemate and an attack point for the opposition party to exploit. While these psychological issues are

confronting they are tiny in comparison to the problems that alcohol produces, which is a perfectly legal and accepted drug. Legalisation of marijuana would also result in government regulation, meaning that the strength of the drug could be controlled, along with its distribution. Contrary to popular belief, regulation would actually make marijuana MORE difficult for minors to gain access to, as drug dealers will never ask to see your eighteen plus card. In less than two decades the number of prisoners in Australia on drug offences increased from 688 in 1982 to 2150 in 2000. The prison industry averaged a 7.1% annual growth rate over this time, becoming a billion dollar industry in 1997. Over this period, close to one and a half million drug offences were prosecuted. (Jiggens, 2005) Legalisation & taxation might not make us drug-free, but it allows society to address these issues in the open forum of public opinion, which in my opinion is a lot better than within the four walls of a courtroom.

Works Cited
Amsterdam Cannabis Seeds. (2010). Religion Marijuana Use. Retrieved June 2, 2011, from Amsterdam Cannabis Seeds: http://www.amsterdamcannabisseeds.com/religion-marijuana-use.html How to Pass Marijuana Tests. (2002). Marijuana Myths. Retrieved June 2, 2011, from How to Pass Marijuana Tests: http://www.urinetesting101.com/marijuana-myths.htm Jiggens, D. J. (2005, October 28). The Cost of Drug Prohibition in Australia . Retrieved June 2, 2011, from Queensland University of Technology: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/3442/1/3442.pdf