Thursday, 2 May 2024

Cannabis law reform

Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:49): On Sunday 20 April I and many of my colleagues on the crossbench attended a 420 rally in Flagstaff Gardens. 420 is the international day of celebration for cannabis, when communities come together to advocate for change of unfair and unjust cannabis laws. This year we saw a crowd of about 300 in attendance enjoying the festivities, including comedy from Lucy Best and music by Zepha, Pauly Shaw and DJ MzRizk. The Craze Collective also had an iconic set-up with the theme ‘Who are we hurting?’ It was reported that this event was a peaceful gathering; however, a heavy police presence – including the dog squad – resulted in 36 arrests. Four were given a court summons while the remaining 32 were issued with cautions. What was unique about Melbourne’s 420 event was it was the only 420 event across the country where arrests were made. In fact Chief Commissioner of Police Shane Patton said:

… we enforce the law the way it is, not the way some people would like it to be … We will have a zero-tolerance approach.

When we have data coming out of the 2022–2023 national drug strategy household survey showing 80 per cent of Australians believe that cannabis should no longer be a criminal offence, I would argue that it is not just some people who would like these laws to change but the overwhelming majority of the broader community who think policing the personal use of cannabis is a complete waste of time. Police resources are scarce, and we know that. It beggars belief that this event was a priority for the commissioner. This is why we need cannabis law reform. Thank you to all who attended.