$28 billion spent on marijuana as drinkers go to pot
Australians now spend more on marijuana than they do on wine, researchers have found, making them among the world's biggest per capita users of the drug.
A study by academics at the universities of Adelaide and Western Australia estimates the country spends more than A$7 billion (HK$28.3 billion) a year on marijuana, which remains an illegal substance.
Australia's relaxed, tolerant way of life, a fall in the price of marijuana and government moves to discourage drinking, thus increasing the appeal of soft drugs, may all be factors in the increased consumption, researchers say.
Ken Clements, director of economic research at the University of Western Australia, said there had been 'extraordinary growth' in the illicit trade over the past decade.
He estimates that over the past 10 years, marijuana consumption in Australia grew at an average rate of two per cent a year, while alcohol consumption fell by one per cent a year.
'Australia has always been a leader in social trends, and that it's a tolerant, democratic place to live may be part of the reason,' he said.
Increased production meant the price of marijuana fell by more than a third in real terms during the 1990s, putting it well within the reach of most people.
The ongoing study, carried out with academic Xueyan Zhao of the University of Adelaide, will explore whether government attempts to discourage excessive drinking, including random breath testing for drivers, have had the unintended effect of shifting public demand from alcohol to marijuana.
The research found more than a third of adult Australians have smoked marijuana, while around half support its legalisation.
Professor Clements said he was surprised by how widespread marijuana use was in Australia, although he pointed out that a hard core of just five per cent of users accounted for 95 per cent of the total consumption.
Last week, another study showed that while half of all Australian high school students had tried marijuana, the use of tranquillisers, amphetamines and hallucinogens was also on the increase.
The survey of more than 25,000 students showed that 53 per cent of 17-year-old schoolboys said they had smoked marijuana.
Anti-drug groups said the figures showed campaigns run by the Australian Government to warn young people of the dangers of drug abuse were falling on deaf ears.
