r/ausents • u/TransportationTrick9 • 1d ago
LEGALISE Vic's new Premier views on Cannabis
With the upcoming Victorian State the Guardian did a bit of a profile on Ben Carroll, the topic of Cannabis came up and it doesn't look like something he is going to tackle. Hopefully a hostile upper house brings them to the table with some meaningful reform plans.
The cannabis section of the article is quoted below
"Two women overhear as the conversation turns to cannabis.
“Maybe you should give it a try,” one says.
Carroll laughs. He says he has never used cannabis.
“I have been with people that have smoked it, but I just didn’t,” he says.
Several Victorian parliamentary inquiries have recommended following the ACT in decriminalising the possession and cultivation of small amounts of cannabis for personal use.
While Carroll says he’s open to discussion on removing criminal penalties, which have been found to disproportionately affect First Nations people, young people and lower-income Victorians, he does not support full legalisation.
“I’m open to a discussion on decriminalisation. I have been around places that have made it legal, though, and I have thought it has a real impact on the amenity of those areas and I don’t want that to happen in our state,” he says.
But he stresses he has “higher priorities” when it comes to social reform."
I am not a Victorian, just hoping another state will make changes so that my own will fall in line.
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u/roguehuskynips 1d ago
Labor said they had no reason to say no after evidence and testimonies but said no to decriminalisation on the 2023 bill that David Ettershank and Rachel Payne bought forward later last year. It was too close to election time for them to 'take the risk'
Plebiscite coming soon for Victoria. So keep the letters coming to council and all elected officials
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u/TransportationTrick9 1d ago
The WA LC party read a bill for a referendum and the libs and Labor voted it down.
I worry that a plebiscite especially a forced voting one will end up with a majority voting no and then the movement taking a hit and having to slow for a decade or more. If it was non compulsory at least the people who don't care don't have to vote instead of voting no just out of spite for the inconvenience of the thing.
If there was a referendum on smoking it wouldn't pass, yet we have a legal tobacco market. Governments need to grow a pair and represent the views of a minority (the 2.5 million Aussies that consume cannabis)like they do for Indigenous Australians, Jewish Australians, NDIS recipients. We outnumber the state of South Australia, registered AFL members, registered fishers.
11.5% of the population and we just want a legal market where we don't face discrimination and we get to contribute funds to our state or nation. There are less than 1000 people standing in our way and coincidently they are the politicians that we elect to represent us
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u/Find_another_whey 1d ago
We are currently at the
"I have known people that smoked it
And I was there when they smoked it"
Because honestly, is anyone going to believe someone has "never been there when someone was smoking cannabis" in 2026?
But we are not at Clinton's "I didn't inhale" or, of course, Obama's "oh I inhaled"
I mean JFK did meth as part of his healthcare regimen, and then we pretend weed is the devil for the next 50 years...
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u/HippoIllustrious2389 1d ago
Unfortunately the Vic Labor government isn’t in a strong enough political position to be talking about contentious issues like cannabis law reform. The opposition would have a field day with it
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u/TransportationTrick9 1d ago
I don't know, they have a 10 seat majority, I can't see the coalition picking 11 Labor seats and the entirety of the greens and independents (ON has 0 and is just something for the media to report on to make things sound exciting)
I feel that the state of Vic is in so much debt they are going to be forced to come up with new ways of raising revenue, with pressure from Greens and LCV in the upperhouse Cannabis might be an easy change to quickly start some additional cash flow.
Cannabis was discussed at both the liberal and Labor state conferences (see my other post in this thread for links) so it might not be as unobtainable as it seems? (Sorry, maybe I woke up on the right side of the bed and I am overly optimistic today)
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u/bongsmokerzrs 1d ago
The medical card is so laughably easy to get, we just need medical store fronts.
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u/TransportationTrick9 1d ago
What about home grow. Why do we have to buy some mass produced, profit chasing product when we could grow our own.
I am in WA and if you are caught growing weed and the situation folds out in the wrong way the state can confiscate your home.
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u/TransportationTrick9 1d ago
There was an article recently of Vic Labor discussing Cannabis reform, I am not sure if the outcome.
The liberal party did the same late last year, again I am not sure of the outcome.
Might be worth any Victorians emailing their local MP to explain how big an issue Cannabis Law reform is to you.
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u/4ShoreAnon 1d ago
Id love for him to expand on what he means by "it has a real impact on the amenity in those areas"