Legalisation Timeline – Australia
Cannabis importation and use was prohibited by the Australian Commonwealth Government with federal legislation implementing the 1925 Geneva Convention on Opium and Other Drugs.
Sector: Legalisation
Home growing
Self-cultivation (home growing) and cannabis social clubs reduce the size of the illicit trade and associated harms and removes the need for users to interact with the illicit market.
Rebuild Trust with Law Reform
Enforcing the prohibition on Cannabis has been a complete waste of time, money and resources. Australian police make over 71,000 Cannabis related arrests every year, well over 1,000 a week!
Problems with our current drug driving laws
Cannabis impairment is generally weak and probably normally below a threshold where driving performance is dangerously degraded.
Saliva – poor measure of Cannabis impairment
Results indicate blood and oral fluid THC concentrations are relatively poor or inconsistent indicators of cannabis-induced impairment. This contrasts with the much stronger relationship between blood alcohol concentrations and driving impairment.
Cannabis law in Australia
State and Territory cannabis laws vary significantly, but remember, you DO NOT have to answer police questions or make a statement, even after you are arrested. Just give your name and address so that bail can be granted.
Decriminalisation
The most comprehensive review on impacts of decriminalisation of illicit drugs was conducted using data from the Netherlands, US, Australia and Italy. They concluded removal of criminal penalties appeared to produce positive but slight impacts, primarily reducing the burden and cost to the criminal justice system and reducing the intrusiveness of criminal justice responses to users.
Arguments against drug driving testing
Use of illicit drugs is not the cause of major road trauma. The major substance cause of death or injury is, in order; alcohol, and prescription drugs. Presence of THC in the mouth does not necessarily make you or your driving more dangerous.
Legality in the ACT and federal law
From 1 February, 2020 new rules around personal use of cannabis were introduced in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Cannabis is not legal, but amendments have been made which exempt individuals from criminal liability in certain circumstances.
Does Cannabis impair driving like alcohol does?
Cannabis produces little or no car-handling impairment in driving studies. This is consistently less than moderate doses of alcohol and many legal medications.