The Greens have ramped up their campaign to legalise adult-use cannabis, claiming the federal government could raise A$700 million in annual tax revenue within three years of introducing a regulated market.
Senator David Shoebridge said the revenue projections have been fully costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office, and that the figures demonstrate the tangible benefits a legal adult-use scheme could deliver to communities across Australia.
The party argued that legalisation would redirect money away from "bikie gangs and organised crime" into legitimate businesses, while generating funding for schools, hospitals and climate action.
In what amounted to a pre-election commitment, Shoebridge said the Greens would keep pushing for a well-regulated market allowing Australians to purchase cannabis from licensed dispensaries and cannabis cafes, as well as grow up to six plants at home.
The senator, who unsuccessfully tabled the Legalise Cannabis Bill in federal parliament last year, said: "Labor had the chance to vote for legalisation and blew it. We're not waiting for them to wake up.
"The Greens' plan will let the public decide if they want to spend more time and money on the failed war on drugs or grow a new sustainable and exciting industry.
"Billions of dollars in revenue, just imagine what that fresh funding could do for mental health, education, and drug programs.
"Legal weed isn't a wild idea. It's already working in Canada, Germany, and most of the US. Why is Australia stuck in the past?"
Shoebridge drew a sharp contrast between the illicit market — which he described as supplying "random strength mystery weed" while funnelling billions into criminal networks — and the Greens' vision of a legal industry offering "safe, labelled, quality-controlled cannabis that is maybe even organically grown."
"That's the future we see," he said. "This would be an amazing step up from the current policy setting.
"The future we see is one with secure regional jobs, safe products, flourishing small businesses and the option to visit a chilled-out cannabis cafe."
