Legalise Cannabis MPs are launching a coordinated push to make marijuana legal for personal use in three states and overhaul what the party says is outdated legislation that unnecessarily criminalises people.
The party’s drug reform bill will be introduced on Tuesday in state parliaments in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia – the jurisdictions where it has representation in the state’s upper houses.
Legalise Cannabis says it is the first time the same bill has been introduced across three states on the same day. The reform, which would allow adults to possess and grow small quantities of cannabis at home, is similar to ACT’s model that came into effect in 2020.
Rachel Payne, a Victorian Legalise Cannabis MP, said the bill encouraged state governments to be on the “the right side of history when it comes to cannabis law reform”.
She said longstanding prohibition meant Australians were criminalised for consuming cannabis, which was particularly prevalent among First Nations people, who are over-represented in the criminal justice system.
“These laws are currently causing real harm and we should as a society come together to prevent any further harm,” she said.
The Legalise Cannabis NSW MP Jeremy Buckingham said the party wanted consistency on cannabis across Australia to ensure there was a national debate about responsible use of the drug.
“At the moment each state has a set of laws that are being deregulated – that’s the trajectory of cannabis…
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