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Cannabis

We should legalise medical and therapeutical cannabis and should


decriminalise recreational cannabis.

1st minute
Discuss the topic.
- All forms of cannabis use are illegal in Australia
- This includes medical and therapeutical use of cannabis such as
relieving symptoms of people undergoing chemotherapy such as
nausea and vomiting and reduces pain and spasticity.
- 34% of people aged over 14 have used cannabis at least once,
which is a large portion of the Australian population and is the most
commonly used illicit drug.
- Cannabis is illegal at the minute in Australia however that does not
mean there is nothing happening to change that. Earlier this year
the NSW government approved trials on the drug for medical use
and Tony Abbott even declared his support for the legalisation of
medical cannabis.
2nd minute
This should be because it is a drug that can help people and by keeping it
illegal we are witholding something that could benefit many people with
serious illnesses or undergoing treatment such as chemotherapy
3rd minute
If it was legal the government would be able to tax and regulate it. It
would help our economy.
4th minute
When legal the government is better able to control the drug and it's
quality, ensuring it is safer for the community and not as much as a risk,
resulting in less deaths than currently
5th minute
Would also be able to educate more on the drug similar to alcohol so that
the younger people are able to use it safer than before.
6th minute
The drug use may increase because of this, but because it is regulated
and better quality there would be less hospitalisation a due to overdoses
or bad quality

Cannabis should be legal for medical uses


This should be because it is a drug that can help people and by keeping it
illegal we are witholding something that could benefit many people with
serious illnesses or undergoing treatment such as chemotherapy
If it was legal the government would be able to tax and regulate it. It
would help our economy.
When legal the government is better able to control the drug and it's
quality, ensuring it is safer for the community and not as much as a risk,
resulting in less deaths than currently
Would also be able to educate more on the drug similar to alcohol/sex so
that the younger people are able to use it safer than before.
The drug use may increase because of this, but because it is regulated
and better quality there would be less hospitalisation a due to overdoses
or bad quality
What is your opinion
Why do you think this
Why does it matter?
Deregulation of tertiary education fees will improve educational
opportunities and outcomes for students and ensure the economy is bit
overburdened by the rising cost.
Our government should legalise cannabis for medical and therapeutical
purposes as this would be the mist compassionate and humane response
Economy- will help the economy
Safety- better quality, more education
Morality/ethical- not withholding something that could make life easier
2012- 120,000 aussies diagnosed with cancer
2014- 100,000 diagnosed with cancer
aged over 65 get cancer
3.8 million aussies have arthritis
18% of population
illicit drugs are 1.3% of deaths
alcohol only 0.8% of deaths
2010- $1.1 billion on drug law enforcement.

Would you want to watch your loved ones in agonising pain? Caused by an
illness that affects half of the population of Australia over 65? Would you
want to stand by and watch as your best friend writhes on the ground in

agony? Or see your school mate sink into depression and breakdown
because of stress? Im sure I wouldnt, and that is why I believe we should
unite to fight for the legalisation of medical and therapeutical cannabis to
prevent the danger and pain posed by chemotherapy, spasms and stress
to ourselves and the people around us as well as benefiting our economy
to create a stronger Australia.

Medical and therapeutical cannabis should be legalised because


withholding it from seriously ill patients is unethical and it will also benefit
our economy. Currently all forms of cannabis use are illegal in Australia,
whether it is recreational or for medical or therapeutical reasons we are
unable to utilise cannabis and this means that while it is illegal as a
recreational drug and does deter some people from using it, many people
who have a serious illness or undergoing treatment such as chemotherapy
are unable to relieve their pain or alleviate symptoms which we should all
find morally incorrect. With regulated cannabis the quality and safety of
the drug will be increased and there will be less risk involved in using it,
resulting in fewer deaths and hospitalisations each year as well as
benefiting our economy through taxes at the same time.
So far, the government believes that cannabis should be illegal. However
this has resulted in a contradiction of beliefs, where the government is
denying the citizens of Australia the ability to alleviate pain and suffering
by keeping drugs such as cannabis illegal.
Should we be attempting to hold onto old beliefs that all drugs are bad?
Or should we be trying to do what is best for each other by stopping the
suffering of our fellow Australians and allowing them to function normally
and enjoy everyday life as we can? In 2012, 120,000 australians were
diagnosed with cancer, this year 100,000 australians were diagnosed with
cancer and next year with a rate that affects 1 in 2 australians, there will
be more people diagnosed, a large majority of which will choose to
undergo chemotherapy and will leave them in unbearable pain. 3.8 million
australians have arthritis, which is 18% of our population and this means
that 18% of australians are suffering because of arthritis. We have the
ability to stop the suffering of millions of people, people who will be in our
lives and who are our fellow countrymen. Cannabis has the ability to
alleviate the pain of people with cancer and arthritis, and all we have to
do is to legalise medical and therapeutical cannabis. Why should we force
others to endure something that we would not want to endure ourselves?
Are we that cruel?
There are people right now who are going through chemotherapy for
cancer treatment, or have arthritis, neuropathy (a condition affecting

nerve cells) or aids and are in a great deal of pain or danger which could
have been prevented by using cannabis. In 2012 120,000 australians were
diagnosed with cancer, and the majority of these would have undergone
chemotherapy and so would have been in severe pain. This pain however
could have alleviated by medical cannabis and we would have been able
to provide some relief for these patients in their difficult times, which for
some, would have been their last months alive. However because
cannabis is illegal, these patients had to suffer through unbelievable pain
where their only relief was death. This year there were again over 100,000
people diagnosed with cancer and next year there will be a similar
number again. We have the ability to minimise their suffering and ensure
that their treatment is undergone in the most humane way. Why should
we force them to endure that treatment when we would not want to have
to do that ourselves. 1 in 2 Australians are diagnosed with cancer over
the age if 65 so everyone in this room has a high chance of bring
diagnosed with cancer, and then what? Would you want to be in as much
suffering as well or would you want to be able to continue your life without
agonising pain? As well as relieving pain, cannabis is able to reduce
spasticity and muscle spasms in patients with multiple sclerosis. This
allows these people to function more normally in society and lead a life
similar to your or I. Again though, because the government has refrained
from legalising medical cannabis, these patients are unable to get this
treatment and so are unable to lead the life that we have the privilege of
leading.
But what about the people who say we should not legalise it because it is
not safe? What about the dangers to the health of our fellow australians.
But arent we forgetting that alcohol was unsafe as well when it was
prohibited? We have forced cannabis to be dangerous because it is illegal.
If the government was able to regulate cannabis then the quality of it
could be controlled and its safety would be ensured. Professor Louisa
Degenhardt at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre stated that
accounts for only 0.8% of deaths in Australia each year whereas illicit
drugs account for 1.3% of deaths annually. Cannabis would not be
responsible for all the deaths caused by illicit drugs, however it would take
a large portion and we would be able to utilise the legalisation of medical
and therapeutical cannabis as a stepping stone to controlling more illicit
drugs. Furthermore, the legalisation of cannabis would allow for the
introduction of education programs around Australia, and with 34% of
people over 14 having tried cannabis, this would decrease the number of
overdoses and hospitalisations each year, especially among our younger
generation.

Furthermore, by regulating cannabis the government will be able to


ensure a better quality of the drug is produced and an education system
around the drug would be able to be implemented. Currently, cannabis
that is produced can be of any quality and can contain harmful substances

as well and this provides a health risk for the people taking cannabis, in
the case of medical users, puts them further in risk than their already
present illness. Professor Louisa Degenhardt at the national drug and
alcohol research centre stated that illicit drugs account for 1.3 percent of
deaths in Australia whereas alcohol only accounted for 0.8 percent of
deaths. Alcohol is regulated by our government and this ensures that it is
of a safe quality for us to drink whereas cannabis is not and because of
this has resulted in a larger number of deaths each year. Should we not be
trying to make cannabis safer for the people it can help? Or would you
rather that we are putting people in danger by allowing cannabis to
remain unregulated and illegal? In addition, the legalisation of medical
and therapeutical cannabis would enable the government to introduce
more in depth education systems around the use of the drug. Similar to
the governments education around alcohol in schools, education around
cannabis could be introduced to decrease the number of overdoses and
hospitalisations per year. So why wouldnt we want to do something that
would protect instead of endanger our fellow Australians and ensure their
safety?
The legalisation of cannabis would help to strengthen our economy
because it would provide more taxes and reduce spending of public
money on finding and containing drug criminals. According to a study by
the University of New South Wales, in 2010 Australia spent $1.1 billion on
law enforcement in drug related cases. This number would be greatly
reduced by the legalisation of medical and therapeutical cannabis. The
government would also be able to place taxes on cannabis that would
strengthen our economy, in a similar manner to taxes on alcohol, which
produce
of course there are also the economic benefits of legalising cannabis.
Australia spends $1.1 billion each year on enforcing drug laws, and while
this would not be completely removed, we would save a large amount of
money by not having to send police to investigate cannabis users or
provide for them from tax payer dollars once they are apprehended, many
of whom are people with chronic illnesses or diseases such as cancer or
arthritis. As well as saving money, the government would be able to
introduce taxes on cannabis just as they have done with alcohol. Alcohol
in Australia raises around $7 billion in taxes and with the legalisation of
cannabis, those taxes would also be able to contribute to our economy
which would strengthen our economy as well as allowing the government
to use money saved for better uses than chasing cannabis users.
just as with alcohol, the government would be able to tax

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