A Senate inquiry into the Greens’ bill to legalise adult use will hold its first public hearing in Brisbane today (Wednesday).
Representatives from the Australian Lawyers Alliance, the Penington Institute, Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform, the Australian Medical Association (AMA), the Department of Health and Aged Care and Australian Border Force are among those taking part.
The inquiry will examine a bill introduced to the upper house by Senator David Shoebridge in August 2023 permitting adult recreational use and paving the way for legal home grow of up to six plants and a commercial cannabis market across the country.
It would also establish the Cannabis Australia National Agency as a statutory body to register strains and regulate activities including growing and possessing plants, manufacturing and selling products, operating cafes, and imports and exports.
While medical bodies including the AMA have previously signalled their opposition to the bill, drug law reformers have been broadly supportive.
