Australia is spending $2.1 billion a year on cannabis law enforcement – and it’s not working, Penington Institute CEO John Ryan tells the Herald Sun.
This article, Police splash mega cash to bust cannabis crims but report finds gangs still run industry by Mark Buttler, discusses some of the key data and insights revealed in our new Cannabis in Australia 2024 report.
“The billions of dollars spent on law enforcement are not deterring people from using – and certainly not deterring the criminals who reap the gains of the $5 billion illicit market.
"Cannabis is widely available, cheap, and viewed as relatively benign."
The Cannabis in Australia 2024 report estimates that just 2.6% of the illicit cannabis in Australia is being seized, and 90% of cannabis arrests affect consumers, not suppliers.
As the Herald Sun reports:
"Penington Institute has previously advocated for a regulated cannabis market in which potency is controlled and criminals shut-out of making massive profits.
"It says the current model is supercharging organised crime groups, who channel profits into other outlaw activity."
Read the article, Police splash mega cash to bust cannabis crims but report finds gangs still run industry, published in the Herald Sun on 30 November 2024.
