- Progressive and meaningful reform
- Maintains protections, focuses on positive public health outcomes
- Addresses growing community expectations around access to cannabis
The proposed legislation also covers sharing between adults, as well as allowing carers to grow on behalf of others.
Importantly, the bill will not allow for people under 18 to access cannabis, nor allow people to drive who are cannabis-impaired.
National Secretary of Legalise Cannabis Australia, Craig Ellis said: “An arrest for cannabis can have a massive impact on a young person’s life.”
“This bill is the first step towards ending the unfair and damaging criminalisation of otherwise law-abiding people.”
The proposed legislation, while significant in its own right addressing the issue of possession and growth in small quantities, also provides a sturdy framework for the future legislative ambitions of the Party.
Victorian Legalise Cannabis MP Rachel Payne perhaps best summarised the sentiment behind the coordinated move this week, saying: “It’s time our Government got on the right side of reforming outdated laws in line with community expectations”.
