CANNABIS USERS WOULD TURN TO GROG IF IT BECAME TOO COSTLY

Sydney -- Almost one in three cannabis users would drink more alcohol if
cannabis became harder to access or too expensive, a new study has found.

The research of NSW cannabis users aged 18-29, found 31 per cent would
drink more alcohol, 23 per cent would smoke more tobacco, and eight per
cent would switch to other hard drugs if cannabis became too costly.

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research study also found the
prospect of arrest or imprisonment provided little deterrent to frequent
cannabis users.

Rather, it deterred casual users who were unlikely to get caught in the
first place.

On average, cannabis users first tried the drug at age 16 and 73 per cent
of respondents had used for five or more years, with no marked difference
between men and women.

The bureau found 39 per cent were willing to try treatment to help them
stop using cannabis, particularly those who used every day or a few times a
week.

Director of the bureau and co-author of the study, Dr Don Weatherburn, said
there was value in the Magistrates Early Referral into Treatment (MERIT)
program and it should be widely supported.

"Most of the risks associated with cannabis use stem from those who use the
drug very frequently," he said.

"Programs such as MERIT provide a far more effective way of dealing with
those whose cannabis use has become problematic than imprisonment."