Cannabis would be sold legally in post offices, in packets that warn against its effects, under a proposal outlined by the head of one of Sydney's major drug and alcohol clinics.
The director of the alcohol and drug service at St Vincent's Hospital, Alex Wodak, said Australia needed to learn from the tobacco industry and the US prohibition in coming to terms with his belief that cannabis would replace cigarettes in consumption levels over the next decade.
"The general principal is that it's not sustainable that we continue to give criminals and corrupt police a monopoly to sell a drug that is soon going to be consumed by more people than tobacco," he said.
"I don't want to see that [industry] fall into the hands of tobacco companies or rapacious businessmen. I'd like to see it fall into the hands of the failed businesspeople Australia seems so good at producing or the Australia Post that seems so successful in driving away customers."
Dr Wodak made the proposal for taxed and legalised cannabis at the Mardi Grass festival in Nimbin yesterday, but said he would be happy to express his opinion to the Federal Government.
"In general terms, among senior doctors, professors, deans, college presidents, I can tell you, from having done a straw poll, there's very strong support for ending the distribution of cannabis by a monopoly of criminals and corrupt police," he said.
"[But] among rank and file doctors, they probably have opinions that represent the opinions of the general community."
Dr Wodak believed his proposal could reduce cannabis consumption, based on comparisons between consumption in Amsterdam and San Francisco.
He chose Australia Post for distribution as it could be regulated and had branches spread across the country.
"What I'm talking about is not pro-cannabis, but it's not anti-cannabis," he said. "It's about reducing cannabis harm and one of those harms is police corruption."
The director of the alcohol and drug service at St Vincent's Hospital, Alex Wodak, said Australia needed to learn from the tobacco industry and the US prohibition in coming to terms with his belief that cannabis would replace cigarettes in consumption levels over the next decade.
"The general principal is that it's not sustainable that we continue to give criminals and corrupt police a monopoly to sell a drug that is soon going to be consumed by more people than tobacco," he said.
"I don't want to see that [industry] fall into the hands of tobacco companies or rapacious businessmen. I'd like to see it fall into the hands of the failed businesspeople Australia seems so good at producing or the Australia Post that seems so successful in driving away customers."
Dr Wodak made the proposal for taxed and legalised cannabis at the Mardi Grass festival in Nimbin yesterday, but said he would be happy to express his opinion to the Federal Government.
"In general terms, among senior doctors, professors, deans, college presidents, I can tell you, from having done a straw poll, there's very strong support for ending the distribution of cannabis by a monopoly of criminals and corrupt police," he said.
"[But] among rank and file doctors, they probably have opinions that represent the opinions of the general community."
Dr Wodak believed his proposal could reduce cannabis consumption, based on comparisons between consumption in Amsterdam and San Francisco.
He chose Australia Post for distribution as it could be regulated and had branches spread across the country.
"What I'm talking about is not pro-cannabis, but it's not anti-cannabis," he said. "It's about reducing cannabis harm and one of those harms is police corruption."
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