The Legalise Cannabis Party (LCP) has tabled matching bills across three states as its parliamentary members mounted a coordinated campaign to decriminalise personal cannabis use throughout Australia.
The Regulation of Personal Adult Use of Cannabis Bill 2023 aims to legalise personal cannabis consumption in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.
The move is believed to be the first occasion in Australian parliamentary history that an identical bill has been introduced in three states on the same day.
The party called the legislation "unprecedented," with NSW Legalise Cannabis MP Jeremy Buckingham describing it as a "modest and responsible" first step.
Under the proposed legislation, adults would be permitted to "responsibly possess and grow small quantities of cannabis at home."
The bill would also allow cannabis to be shared between adults and permit carers to grow on behalf of others, according to the party.
The legislation has been partly modelled on regulations that took effect in the Australian Capital Territory in 2020.
Legalise Cannabis Victoria MP Rachel Payne said: "This bill actions sensible and meaningful reform to end the criminalisation of people who consume cannabis. It's time our governments reformed outdated laws, in line with community expectations."
The party said more than 700,000 arrests for cannabis-related offences have been recorded in Australia since 2010, with over 90% involving possession or personal consumption.
"For too long cannabis laws have disproportionally criminalised young people, indigenous people and culturally diverse communities," Payne added. "These laws currently cause real harm to marginalised groups, and we should as a society come together to do something about it."
The bill would not permit anyone under 18 to access cannabis, nor would it allow people impaired by cannabis to get behind the wheel.
Party representatives said the bill would substantially reduce the illicit cannabis trade, which is estimated to generate $8 billion per year.
Legalise Cannabis Victorian MP David Ettershank said: "Cannabis laws make criminals of ordinary Australian consumers and, perversely, create a huge illicit market run by real criminals.
"It's time to regulate and educate."
National Secretary of Legalise Cannabis Australia, Craig Ellis, said: "An arrest for cannabis can have a massive impact on a young person's life, negatively affecting their ability to get work, travel and source rental accommodation.
"This bill is the first step to ending the unfair and damaging criminalisation of otherwise law-abiding people who choose to use cannabis."
Buckingham characterised the campaign as a "nationally coordinated, modest and responsible first step towards the legal regulation of cannabis."
"Our framework for regulation focuses on responsible adult use, maintains protections for children and ensures better public health outcomes," he said. "It's time to take cannabis supply and quality control out of the hands of organised crime and make the needs of the community, patients and consumers a priority."
WA Legalise Cannabis MP and vice president of the federal party, Dr Brian Walker, added: "I look forward to debating this bill in the coming months, and to giving the people a real alternative to the failed and discredited war on drugs."
The LCP said the bill is the first stage in a three-part process to legalise cannabis across the country.
