Monday 26 September 2022 09:08 AM Greens demand for dope to be legalised in Australia trends now
Recreational cannabis use could be legal in Australia by as early as next year, if a bold new bill being proposed by the Green party passes through parliament.
Greens senator David Shoebridge announced the progressive's party's push to legalise the drug in a controversial draft bill to be released for public consultation later this year - before hitting the floor of parliament for a vote sometime next year.
The Greens are hoping to pressure the Albanese government to pass the bill, which will allow cannabis to be legalised in Australia for personal use.
Senator David Shoebridge, who has been the face of the party's push to legalise the drug, said there was more danger with the policing around cannabis rather than its usage, and now was the time for legalisation.
Australians will be able to grow and smoke their own cannabis by the end of next year under a push by the Greens to legalise the drug (stock image)
The Greens are hoping to put pressure on the Albanese government to pass their bill through federal parliament (pictured, Greens leader Adam Bandt with partner Claudia Perkins)
'We've been told to wait for cannabis law reform for too long, even when it's obvious that the majority of harm caused is by policing and the war on drugs, not the plant,' he told The Daily Telegraph.
'Experts and Government inquiries keep pointing out how the war on drugs is failing and how heavy handed policing and the criminal justice system is causing harm, not fixing the problem.'
Mr Shoebridge claimed 40 per cent of Australians had smoked marijuana at some point in their life, and having a law that makes '40 per cent of Australians criminals' was 'plain ridiculous'.
According to 2019 government data, 36 per cent of Australians aged 14 and over had used cannabis in their lifetime.
More than 40 per cent support the legalisation of the drug for personal use, a figure that has doubled since 2013.
Though the states have consistently said no to legalising cannabis, Mr Shoebridge said he had received constitutional law advice that showed the federal government had the power to override the states and legalise marijuana in Australia.
'When state governments are captive to law and order agendas and endlessly increasing police budgets despite all the best evidence, it's time for the federal government to enforce sensible drug laws,' he added.
Greens senator David Shoebridge (pictured) claimed the 'heavy-handed policing' around cannabis had caused more harm than the plant itself
