Support for legalising marijuana in Australia nearly doubles over six years

Over 40% of Australians believe marijuana should be legalised, a figure that has nearly doubled since 2013, according to new analysis.

Australian researchers have looked into changes in public attitudes towards drug use over time, as measured by responses to the National Drug Strategy Household Survey.

The nationally representative surveys, last conducted in 2019, have been collating data on drug use and attitudes every two to three years since 1985.

The proportion of people who say they have used cannabis at some point in their lifetime has increased slightly over the last 20 years: 33.5% in 2001 up to 38.1% in 2019.

While the researchers found strong support for legalising marijuana for personal use, their analysis showed that support for other illicit drugs was much lower.

The study was published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review.