Western Australia is set to see renewed legislative attempts to decriminalise cannabis and revive the state's struggling industrial hemp sector.
Legalise Cannabis WA MP Dr Brian Walker has announced he will introduce a bill aimed at ending cannabis prohibition while also addressing what he describes as excessive restrictions holding back the hemp industry.
Reinforcing his longstanding position on the issue, Dr Walker said prohibition "has failed".
In announcing the move, LCWA described it as the "first serious effort to bring back previously successful cannabis decriminalisation into Western Australia" — a nod to the Cannabis Control Act, which decriminalised the drug in 2004.
Although evidence suggested teenage cannabis consumption fell during the period of decriminalisation, the legislation was repealed by the Barnett Government in 2011.
The Legalise Cannabis Party has not yet released the specific details of Dr Walker's bill, with the final text still being "fine tuned".
Party representatives said it will "draw upon the proven framework of the Cannabis Control Bill 2004, which successfully contributed to a decline in teenage cannabis use during its operation".
"This model offers a pathway for individuals – both medical and adult-use cannabis consumers – to grow their own plants without fear of a criminal record, and will also contribute to easing cost-of-living pressures for many households," the party said.
Dr Walker said of the bill: "We have been operating under prohibition laws, based on a lie, for over a century. The war on drugs has failed to reduce supply or demand.
"But when you ask those who support the current system of prohibition what they see as a 'win', many say fewer young people using psychoactive drugs.
"The irony is that responsible drug law reform, be that decriminalisation or legalisation, actually achieves that goal, not prohibition."
The bill will also contain a 'trigger law' provision specifically targeting industrial hemp, which would take effect if and when the Federal parliament grants states and territories the power to determine their own cannabis legalisation settings.
"The reality is our industrial hemp industry is drowning in a sea of over-regulation and it's forcing businesses to close," Dr Walker said.
"There are simply too many hoops for growers to jump through and too many limits on what parts of the plant can be used.
"For example, the leaf and flower of hemp cannot be used, and if the crop experiences a hot spell at the wrong time the THC content can exceed the current arbitrary limit of 1% and the crop must be destroyed.
"Growers should be able to use the whole plant, which would lead to more jobs and down-stream processing taking place right here in regional WA."
Dr Walker will lodge formal notice of the bill when the Legislative Council sits next month.
