Australia: Market and legal data analysis of the cannabis sector

28th November 2024: Australia: Yesterday (27th November), the Senate rejected the Greens party bill to legalise cannabis for adult use. The bill, which was introduced in August 2023 by senator David Shoebridge, also aimed to allow personal cultivation of up to six plants. The bill was rejected by 24 votes against to 13 in favour. The ruling Labor Party and the opposition Liberal Party both opposed the bill, while it was supported by the Greens and independent senators Tammy Tyrrell and Lidia Thorpe. Shoebridge said that the Greens will keep on working towards cannabis legalisation.
14th November 2024: Australia: A parliamentary committee looking into the impact of the regulatory framework for cannabis from the state of New South Wales (NSW) has requested in its interim report that the NSW ruling Labor party initiate the path towards decriminalisation of adult personal use. The committee recommended that decriminalisation be done gradually, stage by stage, starting with a “relaxation, but not elimination, of the criminalisation of cannabis”. It also proposes not sanctioning drivers who test positive for cannabis consumption if they have a medical prescription.
14th November 2024: Australia: Senator David Shoebridge, from the Australian Greens Party, has announced that the federal parliament is going to hold the vote on the party’s bill to legalise cannabis on 27th November. The Legalising Cannabis Bill, which was introduced by Shoebridge in August 2023, proposes to legalise recreational cannabis and allow personal cultivation of up to six plants. It also aims to create a new agency, the Cannabis Australia National Agency, that would regulate all activities concerning the cultivation, manufacture and sale of cannabis. It is uncertain whether other parties would give support to the bill. However, the ruling Labor party is not generally positive towards cannabis legalisation. While in the state of Queensland Labor decided to form a coalition government with the Legalise Cannabis Party, members of the party have said they do not support legalisation for personal use.
31st October 2024: Australia: The expert consultation report “Medicinal Cannabis and Driving in Victoria” has recommended that patients under treatment with medical cannabis should no longer lose their licence if they’re found to be driving with traces of the drug in their system and that courts should decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to impose any punishment. The report, which was drafted based on consultations with members of the judiciary, as well as experts in law, policy, medicine and law enforcement, was discussed yesterday at the Parliament of Victoria and was largely backed. It also stated that a law should be introduced concerning this issue.
25th October 2024: Australia: Medical cannabis prescriptions have reached an all-time high in the country, press reports. Around 300,000 prescriptions have been granted in Australia since it legalised medical cannabis in 2016. There are over 3,000 medicinal cannabis providers operating in the country, placing more than 1,000 different products in the market.
11th March 2024: Australia: A petition urging the government to reduce the cost of medical cannabis has been launched in the Australian Parliament. The petition claims that the current price of medical cannabis means that it is not easily accessible to most patients, who also have to cover high costs for other types of treatment. The petition will be open until 13th March 2024.
8th February 2024: Australia: The state of New South Wales (NSW) has announced the establishment of a Hemp Industry Taskforce. This task force, which will include 12 representatives from growers and industry associations, will analyse and debate the objectives of the NSW industrial hemp industry, such as switching to a circular economy and harmonisation of industrial hemp regulations. The task force scope will cover only low-THC hemp for industrial purposes and not hemp for use as a therapeutic good.
30th November 2023: Australia: The government of the state of Victoria has announced that it is open to discuss the decriminalisation of the personal use of cannabis, press reports. This comes after a bill proposing to allow small quantities of cannabis for personal use and self-cultivation of up to six plants was introduced by the Legalise Cannabis party. Mental health minister Ingrid Stitt said that although the Victoria government may be unable to give support to the bill at this time, it is willing to participate in “ongoing discussions with the Legalise Cannabis Victoria party on this topic”. As of today, 30th November, the only state where cannabis for personal use is decriminalised is the Australian Capital Territory.
6th November 2023: Australia: A bill implementing a trial allowing people to drive a motor vehicle after having consumed medical cannabis was passed last week at the Legislative Assembly of the state of Victoria and is awaiting approval at the Legislative Council. If passed, the bill will allow users with a prescription to consume medical cannabis and drive. The trial is planned to be conducted in a controlled driving environment away from public roads.
8th September 2023: Australia: The Green Party senator David Shoebridge has introduced a bill in Parliament that aims to legalise recreational cannabis. If passed, cannabis would be legal at federal level and the growing of up to six plants per household without a licence would be allowed. The sale of cannabis would also be permitted under a licence. The bill stipulates that an adult who is found in possession of cannabis of a registered strain or in possession of a licence would not be committing an offence. Importation would remain prohibited. The Greens currently hold 11 seats out of 76 in the Senate.
10th August 2023: Australia: The Green Party today introduced a bill aimed at legalising recreational cannabis. It follows a public consultation on the bill’s wording that found great public support for legalisation. The bill would allow home growing of up to six plants per household. Senator David Shoebridge, who introduced the bill, hopes it can be passed this year. The Greens currently hold 11 out of 76 Senate seats.
20th June 2023: Australia: Bills to legalise adult use of recreational cannabis are to be introduced in three states, press reports. The Legalise Cannabis Party is planning to introduce identical bills in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia. New South Wales MP Jeremy Buckingham said: “It’s time to take cannabis supply and quality control out of the hands of organised crime and make the needs of the community, patients and consumers a priority.” If the bills are passed, the possession of up to 50 g of cannabis per person will be allowed, along with the cultivation of up to six cannabis plants per household.

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