Australia’s capital has legalized recreational marijuana
Australia is jumping on board with the recreational use of cannabis! It is exciting to hear the news of recreational legalization of marijuana in Australia's capital. How exciting for the Aussies. On October 17 of 2015, the Australian federal government made medicinal cannabis legal, and for scientific purposes on February 24 of 2016, parliament made changes to the Drug Act that made it legal to grow marijuana for medical purposes.
On November 1, 2016, marijuana was made legal at the federal level of government. On Feb 17 in 2017, the very first license for research into medical cannabis was issued in regards to the drug act from 1967. Marijuana is widely available in Australia, with a large part of the population using it for both medicinal and recreational purposes, even tho cannabis is still considered to be a part of the black market.
Opening new doors for marijuana is always a win-win for government, the growth of revenues and the people who will no longer have to hide in the shadows for adult consumption. Of course, they can now grow two plants and have 50 grams of weed with no questions asked. These new laws come into effect in January 2020.
Although some are pleased to know that possession and growing cannabis will still be considered an offense, that makes things a little confusing. Where are people going to get it from if it is still a criminal offense to buy it?
So that means that people living in Canberra could still face some legal issues as possession of a small amount of marijuana is still against federal law. Federal prosecutors have not yet provided any advice as to how such prosecutions will be handled, even though medical cannabis has been available ever since 2017 with a prescription. That’s great for those with prescriptions but not so much for the recreational user.
All about H.E.M.P.
H.E.M.P.is, a political party. H.E.M.P., means help end marijuana prohibition, and they have many objectives including making marijuana legal in all states in Australia for:
- Personal use
- Medical and therapeutic use
- Industrial purposes
The hemp party is trying to have marijuana decriminalized for medicinal purposes and personal use and cultivation. They also would like to see drug free zones, which will give designated areas for smoking weed.
Australia boasts ideal climate
Like all countries, Australia is starting to come around in regards to the federal legalization of marijuana and their climate is ideal for outdoor cultivation for most of the year.
That would mean no indoor growing would be needed so the environment would most definitely benefit from legal cannabis and help to cut down on criminal charges and court times for minor marijuana possession charges. They even have some pretty awesome events that go on each year.
The Cannabis Cup is run by the Mardi Grass and they allow growers to give samples of their crop and have it judged and rated. They also have the hemp Olympics which is part of at Mardi grass with events like:
- Bong throwing
- Joint rolling
They also host a growers competition where there have to crawl through a tunnel while carrying large bags of fertilizer. Sounds fun right? No matter where you live, it’s a fascinating time for many countries when it comes to legalizing marijuana. We have all come a long way in the 2000’s which shows how standing up for our rights is not a waste of time. It is a proud time for protesters everywhere.
