On December 1st, Dr Brian Walker of Legalise Cannabis WA asked three questions in council:
- Does the McGowan government monitor international trends in cannabis legalisation, or other drug reforms for that matter, and do moves in our allied and aligned Western democracies in any way feed into its thinking on legal reforms here in Western Australia?
- If no to (1), how many more jurisdictions will have to legalise personal use of cannabis before the government acknowledges that it has fallen behind in terms of what is a clear and growing progressive trend supported by the majority of Western Australians?
- Acknowledging that “liberal” can be a loaded term here in Australia, does the McGowan government have any plans to be at least more socially aware when it comes to drug reform in general, and cannabis reform in particular, or will it remain turgidly conservative?
Despite the well-presented questions, with potential for genuine and constructive discussion, Sue Ellery, the current Minister for Education and Training, responded with a blunt statement:
The state government has no plans to amend existing cannabis laws in Western Australia.
As a WA resident myself, I find it almost appalling that the Minister for Education and Training not only fails to provide a valid response in parliament, but that she continues to retain an extremely close-minded approach to cannabis.
It’s not the first time we’ve reported on Sue Ellery and her thoughts on cannabis. She previously called cannabis ‘dangerous and addictive‘ stating that it can lead to ‘loss of concentration, impaired balance, slower reflexes, loss of inhibitions…restlessness, confusion and anxiety, hallucinations, paranoia, and detachment from reality‘. Only to go on to jokingly mentioned she ‘wouldn’t mind a bit of detachment from reality myself‘. She’s also publicly admitted to consuming cannabis in the past as well.
Sue Ellery – you are a hypocrite.
Cannabis prohibition has failed. Yet we continue to spend billions on a lost war, gifting even more billions to the criminals who run the black market every year.
Is it too much to ask for a bit of rational reasoning from our leaders?
