Senator Richard Di Natale is advocating for the decriminalisation of cannabis, saying its legalisation would take the drug “out of the hands of criminals.”

The controversial Greens leader has outlined his proposal, explaining that it would allow individuals to purchase cannabis through “a licensed outlet” manned by a “trained professional.” He believes this will stop “vulnerable people” accessing more dangerous black market products.

Vice President of the Australian Medical Association Dr Tony Bartone says the AMA does not support the proposal.  

However, the organisation says criminal sanctions for cannabis use need to be removed.

“What we want to see, especially for first time users and people who are using small quantities, is that the stigma and criminal sanctions that go with cannabis use don’t become the barrier to the information and treatment they require to ensure this doesn’t become a dependency,” says Dr Bartone.

“More and more jurisdictions have taken the option of looking at it more specifically as a health issue, not through criminal sanctions,” he says.

Senator Richard Di Natale is advocating for the decriminalisation of cannabis, saying its legalisation would take the drug &ldquo;out of the hands of criminals.&rdquo;
The controversial Greens leader has outlined his proposal, explaining that it would allow individuals to purchase cannabis through &ldquo;a&nbsp;licensed outlet&rdquo; manned by a &ldquo;trained professional.&rdquo; He believes this will stop &ldquo;vulnerable people&rdquo; accessing more dangerous black market products.
Vice President of the Australian Medical Association Dr Tony Bartone says the AMA does not support the proposal.&nbsp;&nbsp;
However, the organisation says criminal sanctions for cannabis use need to be removed.
&ldquo;What we want to see, especially for first time users and people who are using small quantities, is that the stigma and criminal sanctions that go with cannabis use don&rsquo;t become the barrier to the information and treatment they require to ensure this doesn&rsquo;t become a dependency,&rdquo; says Dr Bartone.
&ldquo;More and more jurisdictions have taken the option of looking at it more specifically as a health issue, not through criminal sanctions,&rdquo; he says.

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