The Greens will launch a bid to legalise the recreational use and possession of cannabis in New South Wales today.
MP and drug law reform spokeswoman Cate Faehrmann is introducing the party’s Cannabis Legalisation Bill 2021 to the upper house of the NSW parliament which would:
• Legalise the recreational use and possession of cannabis;
• Allow households with less than two people to grow up to six cannabis plants, and households of more than two people to grow up to 12 cannabis plants;
• Label cannabis products with health warnings and information about the strain and THC/CBD contents;
• Prevent retailers from promoting or advertising cannabis;
• Prevent cannabis stores from operating within 200 metres of a school or childcare centre;
• Establish a NSW Cannabis Authority to regulate the market, with the aim of reducing any harm caused by cannabis and prevent the dominance of the industry by large corporations;
• Allow cannabis social clubs with at least five people. Members could grow six plants each, or up to 99 plants in total;
• Extinguish past cannabis convictions.
Faehrmann, who has been a fierce critic of the government’s zero-tolerance drug policy, said: “Prohibition has well and truly failed and governments all around the world are finally accepting this fact.”
“We’ve seen legalisation in Canada, Uruguay, and parts of the US and elsewhere and the sky hasn’t fallen in.”
“Decriminalisation is better than prohibition, but it is still making thousands of people come into contact with the black market. This is not only crazy but it’s dangerous.”
The bill will be debated this year.
