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Stop police wasting time on cannabis so they can focus on bigger crime threats, Victorians urge government

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Victorians want to stop valuable police time from being wasted on enforcing outdated laws against personal cannabis use.

In new polling by Penington Institute (conducted by independent research firm YouGov), just 5% of respondents identified pursuing Victorians for personal cannabis use as a good use of Victoria Police time and resources.  
 
Victorians nominated other issues as more important for police, including combatting sex offences (61%), youth crime (54%) and organised crime (50%).
 
A recent analysis by Victoria’s independent Parliamentary Budget Office found police are spending 56,800 hours on cannabis law enforcement annually, or the equivalent of dozens of full-time police officers working for a whole year.
 
The introduction of a legal and strictly-regulated cannabis market would free up police to focus on bigger issues.

Our police have enough on their plate without being asked to chase people and fill out reams of paperwork for offences involving a small amount of cannabis.

The community doesn't want police wasting time on private cannabis users when they could be focusing on bigger challenges.

We need legal change that slashes the unsafe illegal cannabis market rather than criminalising everyday Australians. Regulation and control of personal use cannabis is the common-sense answer.

John Ryan, CEO - Penington Institute
Penington Institute has developed a comprehensive control plan detailing how the Victorian Government could legalise and safely regulate adult personal use cannabis.  
 
Economic modelling reveals cannabis regulation could also deliver an economic dividend for Victoria, with roughly $10 billion added to the state’s bottom line through increased economic activity and nearly $2 billion in additional government revenue.
 
As part of the YouGov poll, Victorians were asked how they would like this additional government revenue used.
 
32% of Victorians want the money spent tackling serious crime.  
 
Others want the extra revenue to be used to boost healthcare access and public hospitals (41%) and mental health services (37%). More than 1-in-5 respondents wanted the money used to pay down Victoria’s debt.
 
Mr Ryan said common-sense cannabis regulation will make Victoria safer.

Cannabis regulation will disrupt the business models of the crime gangs, free up Victoria police for more serious crimefighting and generate extra revenue for the government to spend on key services.

John Ryan, CEO - Penington Institute
In July, Penington launched the Cannabis Control Plan —  a detailed roadmap for how Australian states and territories could safely legalise and regulate cannabis for adults. 
 
Proposed controls included: adult use only, complete ban on advertising, plain packaging, potency caps, no public consumption and licenced retailers only.
 
 
  • Penington Institute is an independent drug policy research non-profit committed to freedom from serious drug harms.
  • Media contact:   Ryan Sheales, 0402 351 412, ryan@theagendagroup.com.au
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