Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is one of the most famous drugs in today’s world. It is a psychoactive drug that is made from the cannabis plant. It can be used for recreational as well as entheogenic purposes. The uses of this drug are vast.
Despite its popularity, cannabis use is illegal in many places. Do many people often ask whether weed is weed legal in Australia? Let us find out.
What Is Cannabis or Marijuana
Cannabis is a drug that is used for various purposes. The root of cannabis is the Cannabis Sativa plant. The herb is known to operate as a central nervous system depressant. It alters the sensory perceptions of our body that cause a change in stimuli. This change generally causes a relaxing sensation.
The main ingredient in cannabis is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), and the chemical is known for producing mood-altering elements which cause relaxation and calmness. Such feeling is explained as a “high” by drug users.
Cannabis was considered illegal several years ago due to the presence of THC. However, another component in Cannabis, known as CDB, is expected to impact a few percentages of people positively.
It is one of the reasons for the change in the legal status of cannabis all over the world.
Is Weed Legal in Australia
In Australia, weed or cannabis use is legal for medical purposes. The government of Australia allows the cultivation of medicinal cannabis, but the use of cannabis for recreational use is still illegal at the national level.
Legalize Cannabis laws in Australia still vary from state to state. The penalties for using cannabis in Australia are different for different states.
Cannabis In Australia
Cannabis in Australia is used in many forms. Some of them include.
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Marijuana
Marijuana is the dried flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant material. It is the weakest form of weed, and this form is usually used for smoking.
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Hashish (or harsh)
Hashish is the dried resin obtained from the cannabis plant. Hashish form is more potent than marijuana.
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Hashish Oil (Or hash oil)
Hashish oil is the oil obtained by extracting hashish. It is known as the most potent form of cannabis.
There are different uses of cannabis in Australia, such as drugs and medicine. It is also used for the production of hemp fiber.
Growing cannabis is legalized in some of the states of Australia, whereas in the other states, it is still considered a crime. Criminal penalties of the same also vary.
Cannabis Federal laws In Australia
The use of cannabis in Australia is prohibited in most provinces, except the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which encompasses the nation’s capital, Canberra. On September 25, 2019, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) legalized medicinal cannabis.
Residents over 18 can possess up to 50 grams of marijuana and grow cannabis plants. Two per person or four cannabis plants per household can be grown for personal use in their homes within their territory. The maximum prison sentence for possessing cannabis or its products is two years.
The nation’s legislature passed the Narcotic Drugs Amendment, making medical marijuana legal. There is no list of ailments that qualify. Still, the Department of Health is looking at the benefit of recreational cannabis for chronic pain, epilepsy, chemotherapy, nausea and vomiting, palliative care, and multiple sclerosis.
Folks who are intrigued can consult with their doctor. Patients with proper prescriptions will now be able to use medical cannabis to treat authorized ailments. The distribution of medicinal cannabis has been legalized under the Therapeutic Goods Act and related state and federal legislation. In contrast, South Australia and northern territories are yet to do so.
In New South Wales, smoking or any cannabis use without a prescription, even in the privacy of your own home, may lead to a formal warning for the first violation rather than felony convictions. The police usually take subsequent offences more seriously and file criminal charges.
You may be obliged to undergo drug counselling, also called cannabis intervention requirement notice, if you are found in possession of cannabis for the second or third time having a previous criminal record.
You’re likely to face criminal prosecution if you’re detected a third time. If you have cannabis on you or at your home, office, or stay, you may be prosecuted with cannabis possession. It may also be considered possession if you transport it in a bag.
Medical Cannabis
The great majority of Australians flavors the medicinal use of cannabis in Australia. In the face of the public’s growing interest, product commercialization, and significant patient demand for access, several nations are loosening their cannabis regulations.
The availability of medical cannabis products is becoming more legal than recreational use. Media accounts of individuals with incurable diseases whose lifestyles have been most altered by cannabis-based therapies have fueled this support.
Medical marijuana is available in various medicinal cannabis products such as pills, oils, nasal sprays, and various marijuana plant extracts. It’s used to treat the signs and symptoms of various medical problems.
Medicinal cannabis and other use of cannabis are being explored not just in Australia but throughout the world because they can treat various ailments. The cannabis plant is used to make medicinal marijuana. The flowers of this plant are used to create the psychotropic drug.
Cannabis contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities, which, when commonly smoked, can ease pain and prevent or lessen vomiting, and it also has mood-altering effects. It is because cannabinoids interact with the body’s cannabinoid receptors. The brain-body communication system affects mood, recollection, sleep, and hunger.
CBD has a broad spectrum of pharmacological properties, but it does not cause intoxication. As per early studies, the medicinal cannabis product seems to have therapeutic potential at relatively high dosages (300–1500 mg) in treating epilepsy, anxiety, and psychosis. Other illnesses, including neuropathic pain, drug and alcohol addiction, and neurodegenerative disorders, are all undergoing clinical studies.
CBD is widely accessible as a pharmacological ‘wellness’ product in various nations. CBD is not yet accessible over the counter in Australia. However, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is investigating the feasibility of such streamlined access. The government has also passed a cannabis cautioning scheme. These contain extremely low dosages, for which there is scant evidence of medicinal and scientific purposes.
Cannabis-based medicines
The only cannabis-based drug currently approved by the Australian Parliament after cannabis legalization is nabiximols (Sativex). It’s an Oro mucosal spray with a 1:1 combination of THC and CBD licensed for relieving stiffness in patients with multiple sclerosis. Cannabidiol, another CBD product, is a plant-derived oil-based formulation. It was recently licensed to treat refractory pediatric epilepsy, such as Dravet syndrome, in the United States and Europe. The TGA is completing an enhanced evaluation procedure for this item’s approval in Australia.
Short-Term Effects of Cannabis
Adult personal use of drugs is one of the major problems that the world is facing today. Though this plant remains illegal in various parts of the world, people have been seen using this for various purposes.
Smoking cannabis affects our bodies both directly and indirectly like other drugs. In some cases, it also has short-term effects. Seeing the rising popularity of this drug, schools and other educational institutions should immediately start school-based drug education programs where the students will be warned about its effects.
It should be mandatory for all students to attend drug counselling at least once.
While smoking cannabis, the active ingredients of this drug, like every other illegal drug, are absorbed in the blood. They act on some of the special receptors of our body. Consumption of cannabis through food items is known to have a more negligible effect on the body. In this case, the food is digested much before it gets any chance of entering the bloodstream.
Some of the main short-term effects of Cannabis include hunger, panic reactions, paranoia, dizziness, increased heart rate, and many such problems. People who smoke tobacco are also exposed to many such problems. Apart from smoking, people also consume cannabis in various other forms.
Bottom Line
Is weed legal in Australia is one of the most searched questions on Google. It has been seen that the maximum percentage of drug consumers in today’s world are youngsters. Various drug control programs and drug diversion programs are organized to reduce the use of drugs among youngsters.
One such program is the Victoria Cannabis cautioning program. It was organized for creating awareness about the various effects of cannabis. It is advised that people reduce the use of such drugs for a healthy and long life.
Annanya is a freelance content writer from West Bengal, India. Her blogs are not restricted to a certain domain but range from food, lifestyle, travel and a lot more.
