Legalisation and Regulation of Cannabis
A legal and regulated cannabis market requires:
An immediate moratorium on all arrests of cannabis consumers
Reforms allowing consumers and/or carers to grow cannabis in their gardens or indoors
All historical personal-use cannabis criminal records to be expunged
Reform of drug driving laws where impairment, not presence, is tested
Road safety laws to be amended to allow for a defence for medicinal users
A state-based licensing system covering all commercial operations including production, manufacturing and retail/dispensing
An amnesty period for current grey-market growers to transition to become licensed producers with ongoing support provided to boutique growers, small producers and compassion clubs. Subsidies to incentivise start-ups and not-for-profits
State-regulated affordable testing facilities available for producers, growers and consumers. Such services to be reasonably priced, easy to access with all restrictions currently hampering testing to be lifted
A unified independent cannabis authority overseeing personal-use cannabis and hemp production to include end-users and those experienced in cultivation and production in decision-making processes.
Policy Statements
-
Health
Cannabis and hemp are known for their health benefits and since they have been removed from our diet, we have seen an explosion of diseases such as cancer,…
-
Policing, and Justice
The war on drugs has been an abject failure worldwide. Millions of taxpayers’ dollars have been wasted on “harm minimisation” policies that have failed to reduce demand or…
-
Personal Use
Treat personal use of cannabis by adults similar to alcohol – plain packaging, age restrictions on use, no advertising. The medical cannabis delivery system is a postcode lottery.…
-
Economic
Encourage farmers to cultivate hemp as a major renewable, sustainable agricultural resource that can feed people and value added industries will create jobs. Hemp will both complement and…
-
Environment
Hemp has some impressive environmental credentials. It grows faster than most weeds, negating the need for herbicides and it is fairly pest resistant. Two crops can be grown…
-
Human Rights Issues
Legalising cannabis would remove it from the criminal justice system. Treating cannabis as a crime has resulted in human rights violations disproportionately affecting the most marginalised sectors of…
