Legalise Cannabis Victoria's bill to legalise adult-use cannabis is scheduled for its second reading in parliament this Wednesday, with a full debate set for November 29.
The Regulation of Personal (Adult Use) of Cannabis Bill would legalise personal consumption across Victoria, permit adults to cultivate up to six plants at home, and allow possession of up to 50g of the substance.
The legislation would also permit cannabis sharing between adults as a way to undercut illicit drug trafficking by organised crime groups, though it would prohibit anyone under 18 from accessing or being supplied with the drug.
This development follows Legalise Cannabis MPs introducing identical bills in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia in June as part of a coordinated campaign to legalise personal use.
The bill is also due for its second reading in NSW on November 29, with Western Australia expected to follow in early 2024.
LCV pointed to data showing that over the three years to June 2019, more than 1,100 people were imprisoned for cannabis possession in Victoria, while in the year to September 2021, nearly 9,000 people faced charges related to cannabis use and possession.
The party noted that Australia spent more than A$1.7 billion on cannabis-related law enforcement in 2015-16, and said that since comparable reforms were introduced in the ACT, arrests for low-level offences have fallen by 90% with no reported rise in cannabis use.
LCV MP Rachel Payne said: "We already have a cannabis market; it just happens to be an illicit and unregulated one that costs governments tens of millions in law enforcement and prohibition. Let's pull the rug out from under the illicit market and achieve better public-health outcomes.
"Victoria can be a leader in cannabis regulation. Regulation will stop the disproportionate negative impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians and young people, reduce harm, educate, and turn stigma on its head."
Fellow LCV MP David Ettershank added: "Our regulation bill is modest and will significantly reduce the burden on the criminal justice system. It is time to let adults be adults and grow and consume cannabis in the privacy of their own homes."
