No Link Between Decriminalization and
Increased Marijuana Use, Australia Report Finds

Editor's Note: Posting of this article should not be construed as an endorsement of all positions of NORML.

May 7, 1998, Melbourne, Australia: Decriminalizing marijuana does not lead to increased use, concluded a two year national study conducted by the Drug and Alcohol Council of South Australia (DASC). The study compared use rates in Australian states that have decriminalized the simple possession of marijuana to those that maintain criminal penalties.

"The study showed there was no evidence that the introduction of expiation (on the spot fines) for marijuana use has led to any increase in the prevalence or intensity and frequency of marijuana use," DASC clinical policy director Robert Ali said.

The study also determined that decriminalization saved communities significant financial costs.

The findings of the DASC study mimic those of a 1997 Australian study that found "no significant changes [in] ... patterns of cannabis use" among students in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) following the state's decision to decriminalize marijuana possession in 1992. South Australia and the Northern Territory also implemented decriminalization in recent years.

DASC researchers presented the study's findings to Australia's health and justice ministers on Monday. The Ministers said that any changes in marijuana law should be left up to individual jurisdictions.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751.