'SELL DOPE IN POST OFFICES'

Cannabis would be sold legally in post offices, in packets that warn
against its effects, under a proposal outlined by the head of one of
Sydney's major drug and alcohol clinics.

The director of the alcohol and drug service at St Vincent's
Hospital, Alex Wodak, said Australia needed to learn from the
tobacco industry and the US prohibition in coming to terms with his
belief that cannabis would replace cigarettes in consumption
levels over the next decade.

"The general principal is that it's not sustainable that we continue
to give criminals and corrupt police a monopoly to sell a drug that
is soon going to be consumed by more people than tobacco," he said.

"I don't want to see that [industry] fall into the hands of tobacco
companies or rapacious business men. I'd like to see it fall into the
hands of the failed business people Australia seems so good at
producing or, the Australia Post that seems so successful in driving
away customers."

Dr Wodak made the proposal for taxed and legalised cannabis at the
Mardi Grass festival in Nimbin yesterday, but said he would be happy
to express his opinion to the Federal Government.

"In general terms, among senior doctors, professors, deans, college
presidents, I can tell you, from having done a straw poll, there's
very strong support for ending the distribution of cannabis by a
monopoly of criminals and corrupt police," he said.

"[But] among rank and file doctors, they probably have opinions that
represent the opinions of the general community."

Dr Wodak believed his proposal could reduce cannabis consumption,
based on comparisons between consumption in Amsterdam and San Francisco.

He chose Australia Post for distribution as it could be regulated
and had branches spread across the country.

"What I'm talking about is not pro-cannabis, but it's not anti-cannabis,"
he said. "It's about reducing cannabis harm and one of those harms
is police corruption."