Legalising the adult recreational use of cannabis in Australia makes sense, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) supporting The Greens Legalising Cannabis Bill 2023 which was introduced in Federal Parliament today.
"Criminalising the use of cannabis has been a monumental failure – there has been no decrease in use as a result," said Greg Barns SC, spokesperson for the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA). "Wasting court, police and lawyers' time and resources with cannabis charges needs to end.
"Politicians who oppose this are sanctioning failed prohibition policies and continuing the scandalous waste of resources on law enforcement.
"In the US many states have legalised cannabis for all purposes and in Canada it is legal. Introducing this legislation in Australia is a logical next step and is based on evidence globally.
"The research in Australia shows that more and more people believe that using cannabis should not make you a criminal. Every year millions of dollars are spent on the pointless prosecution of drug users, clogging our court systems and resulting in people – especially young people – ending up with criminal records that last a lifetime.
"Taxpayer funds are wasted prosecuting people who use cannabis, and police time is wasted charging them. We also know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, young people and homeless people are disproportionately affected by the current drug laws.
"Australia's current emphasis on law enforcement and punishment has not reduced cannabis use. Laws are only worthwhile and effective if they are respected by the community. If a law is regularly flouted, this is a telling sign that it has lost its authority and should be repealed. This is the case with our current cannabis laws."
