In a committee hearing, an infamous Australian anti-drug group claimed cannabis use escalates violence and aggression into homicide.
According to Pondering Pot, Research Director of Drug Free Australia, Gary Christian, was one of the speakers on a newly formed committee in Victoria whose sole purpose is to look into the use of cannabis across the state.
However, his speech quickly became the perfect example of why not everybody should be allowed to present their thoughts on a serious topic such as cannabis legalisation and the drug’s place in modern society.
Mr Christian made a number of questionable – to put it politely – points during his presentation without presenting a single source to back his claims.
He said that “cannabis use is associated with a 3.5 fold risk of suicidal attempts and also consumption results in ‘domestic violence escalating to homicide.'”
Mr Christian then dropped the bomb.
He said: “A lot of the violence and aggression actually turns into homicide. This is a worldwide known phenomenon about cannabis.
“They kill the people that are closest to them.”
No comment here is needed.
Unfortunately, Mr Christian didn’t stop here. He said “drivers are 16 times more likely to hit obstacles.”
Canex has reported a few months ago that while research into driving under the influence of cannabis is in its early stages, it is believed that cannabis legalisation, in fact, decreased the number of fatal collisions in US states.
One study, in particular, found that while driving under the influence of alcohol makes the person less careful and drive faster, “cannabis users are more likely to drive slower, compensate more effectively in dangerous situations and increase following distance, driving under its influence does appear to have its risks.”
It doesn’t mean anyone should be driving while on cannabis, but making up fake research results just to “prove a point” should not be the goal when talking about cannabis in front of a committee (or anywhere, really).
He also went on to say that cannabis is a major cause of autism, paediatric cancers and birth defects.
Before we go into the details about why all these claims are lacking truth, in a very detailed article, Pondering Pot rebutted every single point Mr Christian presented to the committee.
