Australians don’t want the new ACT cannabis law overturned

A special Roy Morgan online survey shows more than three-fifths of Australians (62%) don’t want the Federal Government to overturn the new ACT law decriminalising cannabis for personal use, which is set to come into effect in 2020. This is well over double the percentage who says they do want the Federal Government to step in (27%), while 11% can’t say either way.

Clear majorities of all age groups are against the Federal Government stepping in and overturning the law, led by 66% of 35-49 year olds and 63% of 14-24 year olds. The smallest majority is in the 65 and over age-group, but even here 58% do not want the law overturned.

These are the latest findings from a special Roy Morgan online survey conducted with a representative cross-section of 1,054 Australians aged 14+ in mid-October. People surveyed were asked: “Are you aware the ACT recently passed laws to legalise the possession, use and cultivation of small amounts of cannabis?” Respondents were then asked: “The new law in the ACT conflicts with Commonwealth laws prohibiting the possession of cannabis. Do you believe the Federal Government should step in and overturn the ACT’s new law that legalises the possession, use and cultivation of small amounts of cannabis?”

“Despite new research from Roy Morgan revealing 49% of Australians oppose the legalisation of marijuana, compared to 42% in favour, a clear majority don’t want the Federal Government to overturn the ACT’s new cannabis laws” says Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine. “As well as reflecting changing community attitudes to the drug, this result shows Australians are hesitant about Federal Government intervention in the affairs of other jurisdictions such as the ACT. There is precedent here which respondents may or may not be aware of. Although the Northern Territory legalised euthanasia in 1996, the newly elected Howard Government intervened to overturn the law the following year.”

Should the Federal Government step in and overturn the ACT’s new cannabis law?

Source: Roy Morgan online survey, October 9-14, 2019, n=1,054. Base: Australians aged 14+.

An overwhelming majority of 85% of Australians are aware of the new cannabis law passed by the ACT legislature, with only 15% not aware. There was little difference on views of Federal Government action to overturn the law between those aware of the new law and those not aware.

Among those aware of the new law, just over a quarter (26%) want the Federal Government to step in and overturn it while 29% of those previously unaware want Federal Government intervention.

The Roy Morgan Single Source survey is derived from in-depth face-to-face interviews with over 50,000 Australians each year in their homes and collects detailed quantitative and qualitative data across a range of attitudes and demographics including profiling Australians who would like to see marijuana legalised and people who would prefer that marijuana remains illegal.

View the Personal Attitudes: 'Marijuana should be legal' Profile or the Personal Attitudes: 'Marijuana should be illegal' Profile.

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