Smokescreen over new cannabis laws
The first six-monthly report of the State Government’s new Cannabis Infringement Notice (CIN) scheme, introduced in March last year, has produced interesting results. A total of 1876 CINs were issued to 1398 individuals. Of these, 33% were for possession of a smoking implement, 61% were for possession of 15 grams or less of cannabis, 3.5% were for possession of 15-30g of cannabis, while 2% were for the non-hydroponic cultivation of two or less cannabis plants. Those issued with a CIN can opt for a fine or attend a cannabis education session. Only 0.9% of CINs were being contested in court or pending referral to the Fines Enforcement Registry, which probably indicates the penalties are too soft. Meanwhile, a report published in Nature revealed that THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis, protects mice against clogging of the arteries after about 11 months. The Swiss researchers added THC to their diet and reversed this effect with the addition of a chemical that blocked THC.
Another workforce report
As with most problems for government, when it doesn’t know what to do, it calls for an enquiry or report. The shortage of doctors across a number of disciplines made the headlines during 2004, reflected by patients finding it harder to get into general practices and wait lists in hospitals. The Federal Government has now asked the Productivity Commission to conduct a study on the health workforce. Among the issues to be looked at are factors affecting the supply of and demand for health professionals, the structure and distribution of the health workforce and the efficacy of workforce planning and its link to other health services. It will also look at workforce-related policy and after-hours care by GPs, in particular health needs of indigenous Australians and people in remote areas. To say this is a major task is an understatement. The commission has called for submissions before completion in March 2006 (see www.pc.gov.au).
Putting the fire out
Not withstanding the complaints by the anti smoking lobby that not enough is being done by governments to reduce the smoking rate, a survey by the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare estimated the number of Australians smoking has dropped 30% in the past 13 years. Only 17.4% Australians were now regular smokers – one of the lowest rates in the developed world; there were 2.9 million regular smokers in 2004. These figures suggest people are getting the message