Should marijuana be legalised?

Worldwide controversy continues over the legalisation of marijuana.

It’s an illegal drug in most countries, but several new opinions and findings have put new life into the debate especially using the drug for medical purposes.

This is an excerpt from an article in WAtoday:

Medical Journal of Australia published a paper calling for legal reforms to permit the medical prescribing of cannabis for certain patients.  “A civilised and compassionate country that supports evidence-based medicine and policy should acknowledge that medicinal cannabis is acceptably effective and safe, and probably also cost-effective”

Growing and using cannabis is illegal in Australia. Its medical use was banned about 50 years ago when scientific knowledge about its efficacy was meagre. Now there is considerable evidence of its efficacy in providing pain relief, appetite stimulation, controlling chemotherapy-induced nausea, and alleviating symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis and some other neurological conditions causing spasticity.

One of the hottest topics this year was the legalisation marijuana in several states in the US.

Policy Me reported that in the first two and a half months that cannibis was legalised,  Colorado left the rest of the world in awe with sales on the first day of the drug making $1 million.

But what about the bad stuff?

There is evidence that marijuana is linked to psychiatric disorders, the possibility of addiction and dependence, and there are concerns about public and workplace safety.

There are both pros and cons, but should marijuana be legalised in Australia?

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References:

http://www.watoday.com.au/comment/marijuana-an-illegal-weed-or-a-needed-medicine-20140402-zqo0r.html

http://www.policymic.com/articles/83075/marijuana-legalization-is-a-multi-billion-dollar-revolution-that-s-sweeping-across-the-usa