Legalise Cannabis WA has unveiled new details of its forthcoming bill to legalise recreational use, a move it hopes will start a public debate on the issue.
Under the proposals, WA residents would be allowed to possess 50 grams of cannabis, and households would be able to grow up to four plants.
LCWA’s Dr Walker said he hoped the bill, to be introduced into parliament next year, would encourage a proper discussion about cannabis legalisation.
“As a starting point, we’ve asked that the bill allow for the possession of 50 grams of dried cannabis or up to 150 grams of fresh cannabis for those over the age of 18,” he said.
“It would also allow for up to two cannabis plants per person – a maximum of four plants per household – on private property and the use of cannabis at home.
“This legislation will put WA at the forefront of cannabis developments in Australia, following on from and developing the example of the ACT – other states will surely follow.
“Legalisation over the world is gaining momentum, and we want to see Australia benefit from the proven health and financial bonanza that [will] result.”
The bill would also allow local governments to licence outlets to sell cannabis products, enabling “dispensaries and potentially cafes to sell cannabis products further down the track”, Dr Walker said.
He said the party expected to have a working draft ready in the next two or three months, which would then be presented for broad public consultation for anything up to a year.
“We want to speak with health experts, community leaders, other political parties, those in the cannabis industry, and members of the general public – as many people as we can in the time available to us,” he added.
“We’d then envisage reading a revised version of the bill – one that takes that feedback into account where possible – into the Legislative Council in the second half of 2023.”
However, on Tuesday Labor Premier Mark McGowan poured cold water on the plan, telling ABC Radio his Labor government would use its majority in both houses to block the bill.
“Having freely available cannabis is not our policy,” he said.
‘They’re just proposing everyone can grow it wherever they want. That’s not what we’re doing. It’s just not an issue I want to deal with at this point in time.
“We do allow medicinal cannabis for people with arthritis or cancer or those sorts of things.”
