Cannabis Cancer not Considered

A private members bill to ban bongs in Victoria was defeated in the Victorian upper house.

The bill proposed that selling and displaying bongs would be illegal and would bring Victoria into line with other states that had acted similarly.

(Source: Victorian Legislative Council Hansard, 26 May 2010)

The medical research is clear that cancer is caused by smoking tobacco.

The medical research is also clear that smoking cannabis is more likely to cause cancer than smoking tobacco.

Smoking cannabis is known to cause cancer of the mouth, tongue, lungs, upper aero digestive tract and upper airways.

So why are Victorians not protected by laws that outlaw implements to encourage smoking and particularly smoking cannabis.

As well, high cannabis use is having a major impact on the mental health system because of the link between cannabis and psychosis.

Smoking cannabis leads to road deaths and trauma which should be incentive enough to outlaw cannabis smoking implements.

Governments need to take cannabis use seriously because it is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia.

Removing from display and sale smoking implements like bongs should be part of sound anti drug policy that discourages smoking.

Cannabis users need to be diverted into drug rehabilitation at the first apprehension to get them free of cannabis use and the cancer it causes.