Reefer Madness: It’s time to end the lies

There has been much debate of late around the issue of licit and illicit substances in remote indigenous communities.

Petrol sniffing and cannabis are going neck and neck for the title of causing the most havoc, followed by alcohol and kava.

Over the past few years, Australians have had to face a relentless anti-cannabis propaganda campaign, part of the ‘reefer madness’ push by the Drug Enforcement Administration in the USA.

This global campaign of misinformation has serious ramifications for remote indigenous communities across Australia and the people who live in them.

Cannabis has been blamed for everything from poverty, family violence to suicide. It has been a neat smokescreen for governments who want to take people’s attention off the real causes of hardship in remote indigenous communities; government neglect, racism and inequality.

They’re all in on it. Members of Parliament; the judiciary; the police; parts of the community sector; the clergy and the mainstream media are all willing participants in the promotion of the ‘reefer madness’ lie. All of these groups benefit by telling the lies about cannabis.

The MPs use their populist policies to gain votes, the judiciary justify their existence by sentencing an increasing number of non-violent cannabis offenders to prison; the police get more money and more power; the community sector and the Christian-based organisations get an increase in funding and import. The media get an ongoing series of sensational stories to help them bolster their ratings and increase their newspaper sales (and that includes the ABC).

Let’s take the courts for example. In February, Northern Territory Chief Justice Brian Martin told the NT Supreme Court: “For a number of years this court has emphasised that those who supply cannabis to members of Aboriginal communities are committing serious offences which have devastating effects within the communities.”*

It is alarming that a man of his position and power could be so confused about cannabis. Many Australians would disagree with Martin’s cannabis analysis. They would argue that cannabis prohibition has devastating effects within remote indigenous communities, not the cannabis itself.

The courts and the police have been pushing the ‘reefer madness’ lie for so long they actually believe their own lies.

The reality is that the impact of cannabis on remote indigenous communities pales in comparison to the impact of the racism, poverty and neglect faced by communities on a daily basis. The lack of housing, employment opportunities and essential community services in some communities are the basis of much more harm than the use of cannabis.

In fact, if we didn’t have to deal with the culture of prohibition, cannabis could have a positive and beneficial impact in many remote communities. It could be used as an alternative to alcohol and it can be used to help petrol sniffers break that habit. It is a food source and it can be farmed to produce hemp fibre.

The proven medicinal qualities of the plant put it in a great position to help manage some of the chronic medical conditions that are a problem in so many communities.

The plant would be extremely useful to those remote indigenous communities that embraced it.

Sadly, the powers that be have chosen an irrational and illogical approach to cannabis out bush. An approach that has already caused significant harm to many communities as more and more indigenous people are incarcerated for non-violent cannabis offences.

Will the madness ever end?

* Wunungmurra v The Queen [2006] NTCCA 3