February 2023: As of the 30th of January the Australian Green Party has released a paper on cannabis legislation in which they argue for the legalisation of cannabis in the country. They highlight that several countries including Germany, Canada, South Africa, and 19 states in the United States have already legalised recreational cannabis use. The Greens believe that the current law targets vulnerable communities including young people, First Nations people, and those on lower incomes in regional areas, and that legalisation would not only make Australia fairer and safer, but also bring in billions of dollars in tax revenue for important services like schools and hospitals.
The Greens are engaging with key stakeholders to create a draft bill that they plan to present to Parliament. The draft bill will take into consideration factors such as the number of plants individuals can legally grow, appropriate legal sanctions for unlawful sale or distribution, additional taxation measures and revenue allocation, restrictions on the tobacco and alcohol industry from participating in cannabis related activities, and the role of grower cooperatives.
The Chamber of the Parliament of Australia in Session
When Is Australia going to Legalise Weed? – The Detail
The Greens have presented a bold plan to legalise cannabis in Australia and impose heavy taxes on it to increase Centrelink payments. According to a study commissioned by the Greens and conducted by the Parliamentary Budget Office legalisation could generate up to $28 billion in taxes over 10 years and take revenue away from organized crime. The Greens propose using the revenue to increase Job Seeker and Youth Allowance payments by $80 per fortnight.
Under the Greens’ proposal, individuals would be able to legally grow up to six cannabis plants but selling cannabis to anyone under the age of 18 is still prohibited. Sounds sensible.
The $28 billion revenue would come from a combination a 15% cannabis sales tax, and company tax on profits. The Greens’ justice spokesman, Senator David Shoebridge, stated that the revenue from the cannabis taxes could also be used to fund community housing. He added that the revenue could be used to build affordable homes for 280,000 people or increase Jobseeker by $80 per fortnight. The study assumes that 10% of the cannabis sold would be sold to tourists, with the potential for growth. Shoebridge says that this “green gold” could become the lifeblood of many struggling regional areas in search of viable industries.
Controls on Distribution of Cannabis and Cannabis Products
To ensure a level of quality and safety and improve public support the Greens have a proposal to establish the Cannabis Australia National Agency (CANA) to regulate the legalisation of cannabis sales and production. CANA would be the sole distributor between producers and sales outlets and determine the wholesale price based on the current street price. The consumer price would then change according to supply and demand.
What is the public opinion?
Let’s just say we have ‘high hopes’. No apologies for the puns. Ultimately Australia is a place where legalisation is quite likely to happen, and population on the whole seem to be in support of plans for progress.
The Greens’ justice spokesman, Senator David Shoebridge, highlighted that nearly half of adult Australians have consumed cannabis at some point and that legalisation would allow for proper regulation and safer products. He added that the party is carefully drafting the legislation to get it right as it is a complicated and novel matter.
However some are worried by recent history. The 2020 vote on cannabis legalisation in New Zealand showed that support for legalization didn’t translate to the ballot box. A majority (51%) rejected the proposal despite pre-vote polls showing 54% support. An analysis suggested the bill failed to address key concerns such as strength of cannabis, reducing the black market, and normalization of cannabis. And it seems like legalising cannabis in Australia wouldn’t really that change much as 78% of respondents in the 2019 National Drug Household Survey said they wouldn’t use it even if it was legal (Though I’m personally not too sure that number would remain that high).
What is certain is that the Greens will face a challenge in educating and spreading the details of their new proposal. Hopefully unlike many good ideas in politics this one doesn’t get ruined by poor communication.
In other news: Recently Germany also made proposals to legalise recreational cannabis.