19th of June 2024, 5:30am
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PETITION TRIGGERS CANNABIS DEBATE FOR WED, JUNE 19 FROM 5.45PM
IN THE VICTORIAN UPPER HOUSE
Victorians have stepped up to support moves by the Legalise Cannabis Party to change the law with almost 3,000 people in three days signing a petition calling for personal cannabis use to be legalised.
Legalise Cannabis MP Rachel Payne said tabling the 2,785 signatures in parliament had triggered a debate around legalising cannabis for Wednesday [June 19] and the Health Minister would need to respond within a month.
“The people of Victoria have spoken – they want the law changed so there is no fear of persecution for possessing and consuming cannabis,” Ms Payne said.
“People literally queued to sign our petition at three Melbourne events. This eagerness reflects the view of the community. In the 2024 AIHW National Drug Strategy Household survey, support for the decriminalisation was at an all-time high of 80%.”
The ACT experience
Legalise Cannabis MP David Ettershank said the law was changed in the ACT in 2020 to allow for the possession of up to 50grams of cannabis and the cultivation two plants per adult household member.
“What happened next? The use of cannabis remained unchanged the following years,” Mr Ettershank said. “There has been no increase in drug driving offences and simple cannabis offences dropped by 90 per cent.
“It is high time Victorian politicians grew a backbone and did what the people want. 40 per cent of Victorians have consumed cannabis. Prohibition has failed.”
Key facts
- Current laws are ‘criminalising’ young, First Nations, LGBTIQ+ communities, low income, and culturally diverse people – all over-represented in cannabis-related arrests.
- More than 700,000 arrests in Australia for cannabis-related offences since 2010. Of that more than 90 per cent of the arrests were for possessing or consuming. The most likely age group to use cannabis is the 18- to 24-year-olds and an arrest can hurt a young person’s access to employment, travel and housing.
- First Nations people were eight times more likely to be arrested for possession of cannabis than non-Indigenous people and 50 per cent less likely to receive a caution.
- Cannabis is widely used and its profitability enables organised crime to generate significant income to fund the importation of other drugs and invest in other criminal activities. Legalising cannabis would block of the cash stream to organised crime.
- Legalising and regulating cannabis would enable government to direct funds into consumer health information and product safeguards.
- In Canada, Germany, Malta, South Africa, 24 US states, Thailand and other jurisdictions around the world, it is no longer a criminal offense to possess cannabis.
- Wording of the petition: “Petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council that the criminalisation of cannabis has failed to reduce demand or supply in the illicit market and the 1 in 3 Australians who have accessed cannabis should not be classed as criminals. Cannabis criminalisation harms the community, wastes millions of dollars on law enforcement, disproportionately impacts First Nations people and prevents us from enjoying the economic and social benefits of a regulated cannabis market. The Petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to change the laws so that Victorian adults can responsibly consume and possess small quantities of cannabis without fear of persecution.”
David Ettershank MP & Rachel Payne MP
Legalise Cannabis Victoria
[ENDS]
