Many people in Australia believe that Cannabis law reform is (or should be) a federal issue. The ‘People of Australia’ petitioned the Federal Government in 2018 for a plebiscite to be held at the 2019 Federal Election, to gather public opinion on the question of legalising Cannabis. It was signed by 13,000 people in just one month. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt responded, stating clearly that:

“The (LNP) Government does not support legalising Cannabis for recreational use but notes that issues relating to prohibition legislation deregulation and decriminalisation of Cannabis are primarily the responsibilities of the states and territories”.

This left no doubt that we would need to attack this issue at a state level. In Western Australia too much public money is being spent for too little return on failed drug policy. This is reflected in the Illicit Drug Data Report 2016/17 which states that nationally, consumer arrests continue to account for the greatest proportion of Cannabis arrests at 92%. Of that national total, Western Australian consumers account for 26.4%. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), illicit drug offences remained the most common principle offence in 2017, eighteen for offenders in Queensland. More than one in four offenders proceeded against by police had a principal offence of illicit drug offences. The Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party aims to turn that around.

Our History
The Legalise Cannabis WA Party emerged from the groundswell of success had by her sister Party in Qld in their election in October 2020. The Legalise Cannabis Qld (LCQ) Party was the first in a proposed nation wide network of state parties whose policies are flow on effects from its basic platform – that of legalising cannabis for all its uses. 

WA is the second branch. We expect NSW and Vic to follow in the near future. 

The Legalise Cannabis Qld Party  “concept”  was born in June 2020, registered at its first attempt in September and fielded candidates in 23 electoral districts, gaining 0.89% of the vote and over 5% in a couple of seats. Some analysts expressed surprise by the success of such a new minor party having captured more of the vote than some of the more established minor parties, including the Greens and One Nation, in several seats. 

Our hope for WA is that we can achieve equal or better success in our state election next year. We need 600 WA members who are enrolled to vote in WA to complete the application to register the Party with the Electoral Commission of Western Australia. The paperwork needs to be submitted by 4th of December 2020 to make registration possible before the State Election. Help us make this Party a reality by clicking on the “Become a Member” link and filling out a membership form.

LCWA has no delusions about winning Government.  A great outcome would be to win a seat the cross-bench that will give Western Australians who enjoy cannabis socially, need cannabis for medicine or want who to see the hemp industry treated like a crop and not a drug, a voice in Parliament. Contesting the election is an ideal way to raise awareness of the support for cannabis legalisation and the Will of the People. 

The Legalise Cannabis WA Party believes that Cannabis law reform does not have to be complicated and the ‘Grape Theory’ forms the basis of how we will go about making the necessary reforms at a State level.

The Grape Theory:
Treat Cannabis like grapes,
You can grow as many grapes as you want, no licence.
You can make as many of those grapes as you want into wine, no licence.
You can share that wine with your friends and family, no licence.
HOWEVER the moment you want to sell some of that wine you require a licence, and to show quality control and safety for human consumption, and you pay the appropriate fees.

Now that you have a REAL choice in Western Australia please make sure you are enrolled to vote and your details are up to date!

Check your details here

https://check.aec.gov.au/

New enrolments here

https://www.aec.gov.au/enrol/