Penington Institute board member Mick Palmer, former head of the Australian Federal Police, discusses the future of cannabis in Australia on the podcast ‘Neil Mitchell Asks Why?’
In this episode, ‘Why cannabis will be legalised in the next decade’, Mick Palmer joins Neil Mitchell and adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg to discuss the pros and cons of a future where cannabis is legal in Australia.
Palmer says the current laws around cannabis are not working, and that legalisation is inevitable.
“I do think we will see within five years, certainly regulation of cannabis more broadly, and in some states of Australia, I suspect, we would see in that time-frame legalisation,” he says.
Growing public support for cannabis reform
Palmer says there is significant public support for cannabis reform.
He points to new Penington Institute research, which found that 54% of Victorians are in favour of legalising cannabis, with only 21% believing the current laws are working to reduce harm.
“We arrest such a small percentage of the cannabis user population, why are we persisting with arresting them?” Palmer says.
“It’s not the answer. There has to be a better way to do business.
“A law that’s ineffective is a bad law. This is a very ineffective law, and therefore it is a bad law.”
Listen to the podcast: ‘Why cannabis will be legalised in the next decade’ on Neil Mitchell Asks Why?
