Victorian State Upper House members from the Legalise Cannabis Party have failed in their bid to hold a plebescite into the legalisation of cannabis. A plebiscite is a public vote about a proposed law.
A plebiscite is a means to show governments that there is strong public sentiment about a specific issue. A recent example was the same sex marriage plebiscite held in 2017.
The plebiscite proposed by the Legalise Cannabis Party was to support law changes that would allow legal possession and use of cannabis for personal consumption. Effectively, a change in law would enable laws to be developed similar to that in the ACT where personal possession and use is legalised.
Legalise Cannabis Victoria argued that criminalising cannabis use increases harms for people who use cannabis and enforcing cannabis laws by police is time consuming and costly. Unfortunately the vote to hold the plebiscite was defeated along party lines.
LCA, Greens, Libertarian and Animal Justice MPs supported the move. It was emphatically voted down by Labor and Liberal-Nationals MPs.
It seems yet again an opportunity to change draconian laws has been missed. Specific research commissioned by groups like the Penington Institute indicates that roughly 57% of Victorians support a legal, regulated cannabis market, with even higher numbers favoring relaxed penalties for personal possession.
Perhaps it was the timing of the proposal? Victorians go to the polls in November and it’s highly unlikely that any of the major parties want a debate about drug policy at beforehand. They would be fearful of the consequences, especially the media backlash. Hopefully after November a more considered and informed debate will faciliate a change of law.
Author: Greg Denham HRA