Get ready for stoned greenies driving.  Sorry, we already have that.

Greens will move to legalise cannabis within the first 100 days of the next Parliament

The Greens NSW have today announced their plan to legalise, regulate and licence cannabis for recreational use.Within the first 100 days after the election the Greens will introduce a private members bill to legalise cannabis for recreational use as well as move for a parliamentary inquiry into legislation and the establishment of the NSW Cannabis Agency.

The plan will allow for cannabis to be purchased at retail stores by anyone over the age of 18 with a requirement to produce ID.

Up to 6 plants will be allowed to be grown at home for personal use.

Cannabis will be able to be consumed wherever it is legal to smoke tobacco.

The Greens plan will generate an estimated $200 million per year in additional revenue for the State government by a mix of licencing fees, GST and savings on criminal justice spending.

This money will be invested in public infrastructure like schools and hospitals with $75 million allocated to drug and alcohol treatment programs across the state, especially focussed on regional and rural areas which currently have no such services. A further $25 million will be allocated to  prevention and harm reduction programs in high schools across the state, focussed on high school children and young adults.

Greens MP and spokesperson for Justice and Policing David Shoebridge said:

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

“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.

“Each year thousands of people needlessly come into contact with police and the courts for using a drug that’s legal in many other places around the world.

“We regulate and licence alcohol at a state level and it’s about time we did the same for cannabis.

“No one is saying that cannabis is without any harmful effects, however making it illegal does not magically make it safer, in fact it does the opposite.

“By making cannabis legal consumers can be certain of the concentration and quality of the product they are using, can be assured it meets minimum health standards and can be given accurate information about its likely effects.

“It’s time for a common sense approach that would generate revenue that we can spend on harm minimisation and prevention as well as public infrastructure like schools, hospitals, parks and libraries," Mr Shoebridge said.

ENDS

Flies in the face of the NSW Government ad campaign.  A fair bit!