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By ROBBIE MASON
Greens Senator David Shoebridge introduced a bill to regulate and decriminalise cannabis nationwide to the Senate yesterday.
The Greens want to establish a Cannabis Australia National Agency (CANA). This organisation would would supervise the commercial growing and selling of the drug through licensed Amsterdam-style cafes and dispensaries.
Senator Shoebridge said, “it’s time to stop pretending that consumption of this plant, consumed each year by literally millions of Australians, should still be seen as a crime.”
“The Greens are here to get this done, and we’ll be working hard to get the numbers to make this law.”
In Parliament, Senator Shoebridge described the bill’s introduction as “an historic moment”.
The office of David Shoebridge sought legal advice to ensure that nationwide legalisation is possible and that it will override state legislation.
Seeking feedback on labelling, storage, manufacturing, advertising and penalties, the Greens undertook extensive community consultation prior to introducing the bill to Parliament. A whopping 98 per cent of the 9000 online survey respondents supported the idea of legalisation – and 57 per cent identified themselves as recreational marijuana users.
While independent surveys do not indicate the same level of support for legalisation, a large segment of the Australian population does endorse legalisation, and the number of people who do is increasing. A poll commissioned by drug law reform group Unharm last year revealed that 50 percent of Australians support the legalisation of recreational cannabis, while other recent studies have suggested a figure closer to 40 percent.
Cannabis, the most commonly enjoyed illicit drug in Australia, has hit the mainstream in recent years. The National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2019 found that 11 percent of Australians had used weed in the 12 months prior to that report.
Shoebridge painted a vivid picture of what the future could look like for the country before the Senate.
“It’s a world where young people can go to a music festival and not be confronted by a wall of drug dogs.”
“It’s a world where you can grab a gummy before a flight to calm your nerves. Where a First Nations person can run a cannabis café in their local area, providing products that are safe, legal and grown on country. In that world their job is secure, the police don’t hassle them and everyone wins.”
According to date from the Parliamentary Budget Office, legalising marijuana could produce $28 billion in tax revenue within the first decade.
