Australian Greens' push for legal cannabis heats up

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• By Avi Yemini

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The Greens will push for the legalisation of marijuana after receiving legal advice that state laws criminalising cannabis could be overridden by the Commonwealth.

Senator David Shoebridge announced triumphantly on twitter this week:

“We can legalise it! Legal advice obtained by my office shows that the Greens can pass a bill to legalise cannabis NATIONALLY! All state legislation criminalising its use, sale and possession can be overridden! We could legalise cannabis across the country this year!” Shoebridge told journalists that Australia was being left behind by not legalising marijuana.

Cannabis is legal in Canada, Uruguay, South Africa, Malta, Georgia, Mexico and a limited number of US states.

He said the Greens had been working for the legalisation of cannabis for years and that they were working with stakeholders to create a draft bill to be presented to parliament soon.

"It is just taking forever," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

Shoebridge, who insisted that marijuana was not dangerous since “you can’t overdose on it” said money raised from taxes on the sale of cannabis could be used to fund hospitals.

Speaking on the Today show on Monday morning, independent Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie dismissed the new legalisation push. “I don’t think I’ll be puffing on that,” she said.