Greens plan to legalise, regulate, and license recreational cannabis in NSW

Within 100 days of the election on Saturday, 23 March, the Greens have promised to introduce a private members bill in New South Wales to legalise recreational use of cannabis. On top of that, they're moving for the establishment of the NSW Cannabis Agency and a formal parliamentary inquiry into the legislation. David Shoebridge, the Greens MP in the NSW Parliament, stated:

It makes no sense to treat the consumption of cannabis as a crime.

He also went on to add:

We are wasting millions each year and missing out on licencing revenues that the state desperately needs. It’s time we stopped taking such a backward approach to a drug that over one-third of Australians have used.

What happens if it passes?

The exact details of the bill are yet to be revealed but here are the main points:

• Anyone over the age of 18 will be allowed to buy cannabis in retail stores
• You can grow up to six (6) plants within your own home for personal use
• You can use cannabis wherever it's legal to smoke tobacco

Estimates by the Greens put tax revenue of cannabis if it's legalised at around $200 million per year in New South Wales (includes saving on cannabis criminal prosecutions). The party also believes current laws are simply failing, with crime organisations and outlaw motorcycle gangs still growing and cultivating large amounts of cannabis, funding other criminal activities in their organisations. Legalisation hopes to end this revenue stream for them and put it in the hands of the law instead.