It is high time we legalised cannabis for adult use in South Australia.
While jurisdictions all over the world roll back the prohibitions from last century, SA lags behind. The Greens want to change this. South Australia deserves leadership based on facts, not fear.
Despite billions of dollars poured into the so-called ‘war on drugs’, 1 in 3 Australians have tried cannabis. It is time for South Australian politicians to concede that prohibition has failed, even by its own standards.
A Government ‘war on drugs’ is a war on their own people. When it comes to cannabis, the war on drugs is also often a war on sick people, disabled people and people desperate to get out of pain.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We can see from those areas that have legalised cannabis that such a move has brought in significant tax revenue overseas. We can also see that cannabis can have real tangible benefits; medicinal cannabis gets people out of pain or controls their symptoms so that they can live their best lives. We should be seizing this opportunity to take money out of the pockets of organised crime and put it instead towards the public good and prosperity for our state.
The Greens envision a South Australia where this long-demonised plant, that our climate grows so well, is harvested and used to create a new source of wealth that can be put to good use, such as by using it to heal our ailing health system. A South Australia where cannabis profits are directed into preventative health and education, and where cannabis users are diverted away from our criminal justice system.
With the SA Greens Bill to legalise cannabis, we aim to make this vision a reality and to reimagine our state where those much-touted offerings include ‘fine food, wine and weed from our clean green environment’.
The Greens’ Plan to Legalise It
The Greens have introduced legislation that would legalise adult use of cannabis in South Australia. So how would this work?
Our plan:
Establishes a legal market
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Legalises the adult use and possession of cannabis
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Establishes a SA Cannabis Licensing Agency (SACLA) to regulate the cannabis market with the aim of harm minimisation and ensuring compliance with conditions of commercial licenses
Fairer
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Allows for the non-commercial ‘home growth’ of up to six cannabis plants, with more possible through application on compassionate grounds (e.g., medicinal)
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Begins the process of eliminating some (minor) past cannabis convictions
Safer
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Ensures cannabis consumers have access to safe and regulated products
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Requires cannabis products to be labelled with health warnings and information about the strain and THC/CBD contents
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Prohibits retailers from publicly promoting or advertising cannabis
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Keeps cannabis out of the hands of minors and prohibits cannabis stores from operating within 200 metres of a school or childcare centre
Better for SA
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Increased tax revenue for the government to invest in health and education
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Creates new green industry and jobs in SA
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Ends the black market and breaks the organised crime business model
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Reduces police resources currently diverted to the war on people
