LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN AUSTRALIA 2015 - "Nature is not Criminal"

Medical Marijuana in Australia is an idea whose time has come. It's a frustratingly complex issue, though, since both the Commonwealth and State governments have jurisdiction. As you know, access (under medical supervision) to quality-controlled Marijuana is legal in many countries worldwide, as well as a majority of US states. But Australia remains stuck in the last century.

It is time to form together as the people of this country and demand this to go forward, if we can spread this petition and get enough signatures we can bring it to the attention of the Australian government after all of these years of trying, let's actually do it!

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in Australia, with a reported one-third of all Australians aged 22 or older (33.5%, about 5.8 million) having tried cannabis and 1 million using it in the past year. It is estimated that 750,000 Australians use cannabis every week, and approximately 300,000 smoke it on a daily basis. Australia has one of the highest cannabis prevalence rates in the world, and Australia's indigenous population has higher levels of cannabis use.

Almost every day we hear from sufferers (usually age 50+) of cancer, glaucoma, pain and other chronic ailments -- sufferers who have become aware of Marijuana health benefits, envy its legal availability overseas, and ask us why they can't access it here without fear of fine and/or imprisonment. They're a steadily growing demographic, and we can't give them an answer. Medical Marijuana users don't even have to get "high". The most healthful way is to ingest Medical Marijuana, and in its correct doses, or which allows the patient to minimize or eliminate any unwanted Psychoactive effects of their Medicine! Which eliminates the argument of the possible harmful toxic effects from smoking Medical Marijuana.

Medical cannabis can be administered using a variety of methods, including vaporizing or smoking dried buds, eating extracts, taking capsules or using oral sprays. Synthetic cannabinoids are available as prescription drugs in some countries; examples include: dronabinol (available in the United States (US) and Canada) and nabilone (available in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom (UK), and the US). Recreational use of cannabis is illegal in most parts of the world, but the medical use of cannabis is legal in certain countries, including Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

In the US, federal law outlaws all cannabis use, while 20 states and the District of Columbia no longer prosecute individuals merely for the possession or sale of marijuana, as long as the individuals are in compliance with the state's marijuana sale regulations. However, an appeals court ruled in January 2014 that a 2007 Ninth Circuit ruling remains binding in relation to the ongoing illegality, in federal legislative terms, of Californian cannabis dispensaries, reaffirming the impact of the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Since 1972, there have been numerous proposals in the United States to remove cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the most tightly restricted category reserved for drugs which have "no currently accepted medical use". Rescheduling proponents argue that cannabis does not meet the Controlled Substances Act's strict criteria for placement in Schedule I, and therefore the government is required by law either to permit medical use or to remove the drug from federal control altogether. The government, on the other hand, maintains that cannabis is dangerous enough to merit Schedule I status. The dispute is based on differing views on how the Act should be interpreted and what kinds of scientific evidence are most relevant to the rescheduling decision.

We Believe its time Australia finally catches up with the rest of the world in regard to the Medical Benefits and fair classification of this naturally occurring plant which has been used for thousands of years by humans.

Making Medical Marijuana legal would allow the government to tax and regulate its production. Instead of wasting money on enforcement of the current laws, the Australian government would actually gain money through legalization of Medical marijuana. More importantly, it would have the ability to control growing conditions and ensure that the product is safe for consumption and be tested for pesticides and other harmful substances it may contain.

Licensing and taxing medical Marijuana suppliers and users would also provide a substantial revenue boost to the National Economy, as the US Government happily discovered after re-legalizing alcohol in 1933. In addition, growers in rural and even urban electorates would be major beneficiaries.

The sale legal sale of marijuana would be a significant financial boom, both to private citizens who choose to enter the industry and the government who can, and should, tax the use of the drug heavily. The taxes generated by legal marijuana sale would be more than enough to fully fund a thorough and expansive drug treatment program, helping those who wish to quit (marijuana and other illegal drugs) and rendering aid to those who need it.

The illegal import of drugs is a multi-billion dollar a year industry, all of the profit going to criminals, killers, and dangerous organizations. If marijuana were legalized and regulated, the marijuana black market would be entirely eliminated and the immense expenditure on both the war on drugs and the sale of drugs could be turned to far more practical applications.

The money saved on police budgeting from the war on drugs could also be more wisely spent, allowing police to focus on gangs, violence, organized crime, and the prosecution of dangerous, violent criminals. And, at last, Australian government advisory bodies and mass media are slowly and somewhat silently attempting to advocating medical Marijuana legalization.

We Say Let The people of Australia have the free right to use the naturally occurring plant Cannabis / Marijuana for medical and recreational purposes in Australia.

Thanks.