Australian Cannabis Addiction Center Closes Doors After Losing Funding

The National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC) will be closing doors December 31, 2016, after losing federal funding from Australia’s Commonwealth. Now that Australia has legalized medical cannabis, cannabis addiction centers like the NCPIC have arguably lost their relevance.

The NCPIC has received $3 million in funding for the last 10 years. The center was established in 2007 and counseled only addicts suffering from cannabis addiction. Without funding, the center has no choice but to close its doors.

“Our greatest fear in closing the centre is that vulnerable people will seek information from pro-legalization propaganda websites, and make decisions that could lead to their health declining, the center’s director Professor Jan Copeland said in a statement. “The decision to close NCPIC, an organization with no position on legalization or prohibition, at this time of policy confusion and public misinformation, is extremely unfortunate.”

The center was located at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and employed a dozen employees. A spokesperson from the Commonwealth Department of Health explained that the decision was due to a change in priorities. “The funding of the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre has been considered in the context of broader community and sector information needs on alcohol and other drugs, rather than focusing on one specific substance,” the spokesperson said.  The Commonwealth has expressed a desire to refocus on ice, the concentrated form of methamphetamine that’s wreaking havoc in Australia.

Studies have shown that cannabis rarely leads to physical addiction. The gateway theory has been broadly discredited by the scientific community. In the United States, Marijuana Anonymous offers pamphlets and literature for recovering cannabis addicts. The money spent on recovering cannabis addicts could be better spent on addiction centers that focus on hard drugs, such as methamphetamine or heroin.