A Green Party proposal introduced in the New South Wales Parliament this week would permit Amsterdam-style cannabis cafés where recreational users could legally purchase and use the drug. The proposal, sponsored by MP Lee Rhiannon, would also grant doctors greater freedom to recommend medical marijuana to patients, and would legalize the possession of up to 30 grams of pot.
“All the Greens are saying [is] people shouldn’t be locked up for [possessing marijuana,]” Rhiannon said. “They shouldn’t be fined and what they should be able to do is access information about the health consequences and get access to counseling services.”
Rhiannon’s proposal calls for the establishment of three pot cafés, including one in Sydney and one in Nimblin. Last year, police raided several underground cannabis coffee shops in Nimblin.
Marijuana possession in New South Wales is punishable by a fine and up to two years in jail.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation at (202) 483-8751.