In Australia, New South Wales state released a final report last week on the impacts of its cannabis regulatory framework.
In March 2024 Jeremy Buckingham, the Legalise Cannabis Party leader, chaired a panel to examine the subject and produce a report. In October of last year, the first report from this committee was made public after three hearings in the public and an on-site visit.
This report contained a series of conclusions and recommendations, which urged the State Government in its Drug Summit to take into consideration a wide range of reforms. These included lowering penalties for cannabis possession, limiting police search power for small amounts, and creating new or reforming existing schemes that create a presumption for diversion in low-level cannabis offenses.
But there is no official response yet from the Government to the Drug Summit.
Although the conclusions of the committee’s first report remain unchanged, they have built upon this by releasing a report that examines evidence regarding use and driving issues, public health, federal regulation and organised crime.
Concerns include:
- Cannabis importers face less regulation than local cannabis producers
- Continued criminalisation of those who are driving with marijuana in their systems, especially medicinal cannabis patients.
In a parallel note, Cate Fehrmann (also a member the Inquiry panel) of New South Wales Greens introduced to the NSW parliament the Road Transport Amendment Bill (2025). This bill amends the Road Transport Act, allowing for the exemptions against offences related to medical cannabis. The bill seeks to exempt medical cannabis users from driving-related offences when a legally prescribed illegal drug is found in oral fluids, blood or urine.
The first step the Committee would like to see is:
- Eliminating the potential for jail time in cases of possession of small amounts of marijuana. Currently, there is a maximum 2-year penalty. Most of the members believe that this is draconian.
- Cannabis possession and use should be decriminalized.
- After evaluating and reviewing, the government should consider reforms to create a legalised, safe cannabis market.
Buckingham said in the report, “New South Wales is awash with information from the inquiry. There are interjurisdictional models and years of research on the most effective ways to regulate cannabis.” “The majority committee members are convinced that the government should proceed with staged laws reform towards a legalised and regulated cannabis model in New South Wales.”
This is the full report can be viewed here.