The Australian Greens have unveiled what they describe as the country's first-ever national plan to legalise cannabis.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge is set to formally proceed with a draft bill after constitutional lawyers advised that federal parliament holds the authority to legislate on the matter.
The federal Government has long maintained that decisions on cannabis legalisation belong to individual states and territories.
The party is currently in consultation with stakeholders as it works toward drafting the private members' bill.
Key issues under consideration include how many plants individuals could legally cultivate, what penalties would apply for unlawful sale or distribution — including to minors — how cannabis sales would be taxed, and how any revenue generated should be directed.
A broader public consultation process is anticipated to get underway later this year.
Shoebridge said: "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.
"Experts and government inquiries keep pointing out how the war on drugs is failing and how heavy-handed policing and the criminal justice system are causing harm, not fixing the problem.
"People are looking for justice and legal cannabis delivers this. It's plain wrong that young people are being dragged to court for what should be a personal choice about cannabis use."
He described it as "increasingly ridiculous" to pretend recreational cannabis is not enjoyed by "millions in Australia and around the world."
"At least 40% of Australians have used cannabis and any law that makes almost half of us criminals needs to go," he said.
"While the US and Canada have thousands of cannabis entrepreneurs and a safer, more relaxed cannabis market, here we have sniffer dogs, random drug testing and long prison sentences.
"At the last election thousands of you asked us to get this done, and this is the first step.
"We'll be moving ahead on these laws to make it possible for a person to grow a few plants for personal use, or buy a joint or a brownie from a licensed seller. It's possible, achievable and we're super ready to get it done."
