With just eight days left in the parliamentary year, the Greens are yet to introduce a bill to legalise cannabis, or to give notice that introduction is pending (as is required).
This is despite the Greens declaring with much fanfare in April that a bill would be introduced in 2018. (See https://drugs.org.au/just-legalise-it/).
"The Greens are all show and no substance," said Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonhjelm, whose bill to legalise cannabis has already been introduced to parliament, reviewed by two Senate Committees, and debated. (See https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=s1126).
"The Greens want to retain the support of drug users who are unaware that the Greens' are in fact wowsers who support the nanny state."
In April the Greens announced they would introduce a bill to legalise cannabis, provided it came from a Commonwealth Government monopoly wholesaler.
"The Greens are now haunted by their rushed announcement," Senator Leyonhjelm said.
"The Greens have discovered the Commonwealth has no constitutional power to monopolise cannabis.
"The Greens are also realising that drug users will not support a bill that regulates and taxes cannabis more heavily than tobacco and alcohol. This is just a recipe for a continuing black market.
"The eventual Greens' bill is sure to be a disappointment, because if it was any good the Greens would have introduced it before this weekend's Victorian election.
"The Liberal Democrats are the only party in the Victorian election that is sincere about its support for legalising cannabis. The Liberal Democrats are on the only party with a costed, legislated plan, and our plan doesn't involve a federal government monopoly over cannabis."
