People would be allowed to grow six marijuana plants for personal use and give their friends pot as a gift under a proposed law being introduced to the New South Wales parliament on Wednesday, as the government comes under more pressure to enact drug reform. The legislation would also allow people to carry up to 50g of cannabis, in a change that Legalise Cannabis MP Jeremy Buckingham hopes would reduce the number of Aboriginal people caught under laws he believes are racist. Government data obtained by Guardian Australia reveals Aboriginal people were 10 times more likely to have a marijuana-related interaction with police than non-Indigenous people. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup “It is clear that cannabis prohibition is a racist law,” Buckingham said. “It is clear it being used to target young Aboriginal Australians.” The data revealed through questions on notice to the parliament shows that, between 2020 and 2022, there were 54,174 people caught by police with cannabis. Of those, 19,232 were Aboriginal people. While First Nations people accounted for more than 35% of all interactions over the three years, just 3.5% of the NSW population is Aboriginal. Buckingham said the statistics showed the “laws are being used against First Nations people”. “In a lot of instances, this is a ‘crime’ that is the first interaction First Nations people have with police,” he said. Under the proposed changes, adults would be allowed to grow up to six plants at home, either indoors or outdoors, and could give other adults their harvest as long as it was not sold. Buckingham will introduce the bill during the final sitting week of the year, with the intention for it to be referred to a committee for further consideration before the government’s promised drug summit. The government went to the election promising to hold a drug summit at which reforms would be discussed but the premier, Chris Minns, has repeatedly refused to outline a timeframe other than saying it will happen in 2024.

The proposed law reform in New South Wales (NSW) regarding marijuana is indeed a significant development. The legislation, if passed, would allow adults to grow up to six marijuana plants for personal use and to carry up to 50g of cannabis. Additionally, it would permit the gifting of marijuana to friends, provided it is not sold¹.

Legalise Cannabis MP Jeremy Buckingham, who is advocating for this reform, aims to address the disproportionate impact of current drug laws on Aboriginal people. Government data indicates that Aboriginal individuals are significantly more likely to have interactions with police related to marijuana than non-Indigenous people¹.

The bill is set to be introduced to the NSW parliament with the hope that it will be referred to a committee for further consideration. This move is part of a broader push for drug reform in the region, with a drug summit promised by the government to take place in 2024¹.

For more detailed information and updates on this topic, you can refer to the news article from The Guardian¹.

Learn more:

1. theguardian.com2. abc.net.au3. parliament.nsw.gov.au4. theguardian.com5. greens.org.au+1 more