🌱 Cannabis Legalisation

As our name suggests, the Legalise Cannabis Party is committed to the full legalisation of cannabis for adult use, growth and sale. Realising that this will require reform of a number of laws here in Western Australia, the Legalise Cannabis WA Party (LCWA) has begun what it sees as a three-part process:

 

✅ Stage 1 

Misuse of Drugs Amendment (Lawful Personal Use of Cannabis) Bill: ⬇️PDF   📽️VIDEO

We have introduced legislation into Parliament that would:

  • Immediately legalise adult use of cannabis.
  • Legalise possession of a limited quantity of cannabis per person in a public space.
  • Allow individuals to grow up to six plants at home without fear of prosecution.

This bill was the result of a lengthy public consultation, and you can find the Legislation itself alongside the Explanitory Memorandum tabled in Parliament.

You can watch our elected MP Dr Brian Walker’s entire second reading speech here. 

 

💡 Stage 2 & 3

During the next Parliament, LCWA intends to draft Stage 2 and Stage 3 of this legislation. The second stage will focus on legalising commercial growth and sales on a larger scale, while the third stage will introduce laws governing cannabis clubs, cafés and growers’ cooperatives.

 


🚗 THC Driving Reform

We all want to see our roads remain safe. Like you, we have families we want to come home to each day. However, the mere presence of THC does not equate to impairment, and it is past time that the law recognised this. LCWA will not work with any other party in government unless and until the question of THC driving reform has been addressed in detail. 

As a direct result of recommendations tabled by the Parliamentary Select Committee into Cannabis and Hemp—chaired by Dr Brian Walker MLC—the question of how best to amend Western Australia’s driving laws to end the discrimination faced by medicinal cannabis patients is now being considered by a Ministerial Working Group, established by the Minister for Health. We hope to see a preliminary report from this group before Parliament rises for the election in March 2025.

LCWA maintains that the simplest and safest approach is to mirror legislation long established in Tasmania, which treats all prescription medication equally. In other words, so long as you are not demonstrably impaired, you can drive with it in your system.

You can watch some of Dr Walker's YouTube videos here.

 


⚠️ Work Health & Safety Reform


LCWA believes in common-sense drug policies in the workplace, allowing medicinal cannabis users to fulfil their working potential. We are encouraged by progress in other jurisdictions, most recently California, where it is now illegal to rely on urine tests or hair samples as the basis for hiring or firing decisions. Instead, California allows mouth swab testing, which generally detects cannabis use only in the preceding six to eight hours.

We are actively working to encourage updates to the Australian Standards that reflect evolving science and medical understanding of cannabis impairment. No one wants to see people putting themselves or others at risk in the workplace. However, as with driving, mere presence of THC does not automatically mean impairment. We believe that needs to be acknowledged in workplace drug testing across the state.

 


💉 Other Drug Reform


Our immediate focus is on legalising cannabis in Western Australia. In the longer term, however, LCWA supports moving towards laws similar to those in Portugal, where all drug use is considered a medical rather than a criminal issue.

Those dealing with drug issues deserve health care programmes that offer real opportunities to re-evaluate their drug use and, if needed, to quit. Funnelling users into the criminal justice system simply adds to the problem. Drugs can circulate in prisons, potentially drawing more inmates into substance misuse.

Instead, LCWA is committed to directing savings from the judicial system into health care. We want to see patients receiving the support, guidance and assistance they need, rather than facing criminal charges that do little to help them address their underlying problems.




🌱 What about hemp?

🎯 Check out our funding commitments.

💰 Read Dr Walker's Economic Report

👋 Join the party or donate to the cause.