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What Do Australia's Political Parties Think About Cannabis?
Oct. 12, 2023 01:15PM PST
Cannabis remains a hot-button issue in Australia, and the country's political parties have diverse opinions. Here's a look at what they think.
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Cannabis reform at a national level still seems far off for Australians, but what do each of the country's major political parties think about the drug?
As of April 2025, the House of Representatives has members from six political parties and 13 independents, while the Senate has members from eight political parties and four independents.
Let's look at what Australia's four major political parties think about cannabis, followed by a brief overview of the minor parties in power. We'll also run through the cannabis-specific political parties not currently elected.
Australian Liberal Party
The Australian Liberal Party maintains its conservative view on drug policy, including cannabis, which it believes should remain on the illicit and illegal drug list. The party also has policies around deporting drug dealers. Although it has endorsed research on medicinal cannabis through the Therapeutics Goods Association (TGA), it has since removed all references and specific policies regarding cannabis from its platform.
Former Health Minister Greg Hunt has expressed concern over the Australian Capital Territory's decision to legalise cannabis given that it directly conflicts with federal law. He previously told ABC Radio Melbourne that cannabis presents a "significant mental health risk."
Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has joked that he "won't be partaking" in cannabis. He was also unmoved by activists from the Who Are We Hurting campaign who delivered a pound of weed to Kirribilli House on April 20, 2020, and then brought AU$420,000 in crisp green AU$100 bills to Parliament House on the same date in 2021.
In 2024, the party joined Labour in voting against the Greens Legalising Cannabis Bill 2023, aligning with its traditional "tough on drugs" approach.
At state level, Liberals have also stood firm in their conservative view.
In 2023, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government passed the Drugs of Dependence (Personal Use) Amendment Act, decriminalising small amounts of certain illicit drugs. The Canberra Liberals, led by MLA Jeremy Hanson, opposed this move, arguing that the government "lacked a mandate" and called the reforms "reckless" and "dangerous". They called for a delay in implementation until after the next election.
In March 2025, the Victorian Legislative Council's Legal and Social Issues Committee released a report on the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Regulation of Personal Adult Use of Cannabis) Bill 2023.The three Liberal members of the Parliament on the committee, Chair Trung Luu, Dr. Renee Heath and Joe McCracken, argued that more time was needed to assess the health and economic impacts of decriminalisation, particularly on adolescents and young adults. Their recommendations included sticking to current laws and further examining data from jurisdictions like Colorado and Canada before considering legislative reforms.
In a March 18 report, the Victorian government wrote that the bill is "largely consistent" with the ACT legislation, agreeing that cannabis use should be treated as a public health issue to potentially reduce stigma and the consequences of small possession offenders being caught up in the criminal justice system.
"The committee also recommends the bill be amended to include a five-year statutory review clause, to ensure appropriate monitoring and evaluation."
Australian Labour Party
In 2022, Labour took power in both the Australian Senate and House of Representatives, overturning the previous Liberal-National Coalition government led by Scott Morrison. The stance from the Australian Labour Party (ALP) is in support of medicinal cannabis only. Similar to the Australian Liberal Party, there is no public policy mention of cannabis or marijuana in the Australian Labour Party's mandate.
State members in Queensland and New South Wales have publicly called for the decriminalisation of cannabis, with some going so far as to call for legalisation; however, at this stage the official party line isn't pushing for legalisation.
Current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking with a radio programme on radio Triple M, said that this was an issue for states, not the Federal government. “It’s a matter for state and territory governments, and they’ll make their own decisions based upon their consultation with the community.” He went on to say that this was because of state law — there was no Federal ban to prevent it happening. At this time, Albanese was speaking before he became Prime Minister, while still Leader of the Opposition.
As of 2025, Labour is keen on keeping its stance on cannabis. The party was said to have "blocked" the Greens Legalising Cannabis Bill 2023 during a 2024 voting together with Coalition.
However, the ALP has shown some flexibility at state level, particularly in Queensland. In the 2024 Queensland state election, Labor favored the Legalise Cannabis Queensland (LCQ) party ahead of the Greens in 28 of the 29 seats contested by LCQ. This strategic move was seen as an effort to counter the Greens' influence in key electorates.
Labour did say that it still exclusively supports medical cannabis. Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman was quoted by Times of Cannabis, saying what they have done is make sure there is more diversion in the system.
"If someone is apprehended because they have a small quantity of illegal substances on them, they are then diverted to a health provider… after a number of diversions they will then eventually go to the criminal justice system.”
The Nationals
Running on a platform that focuses on rural Australian communities and agriculture, the Nationals often rely on more conservative policies. As part of a coalition government with the Australian Liberal Party, the party line for the Nationals is thought to be aligned as not in favour of decriminalisation and legalisation, but in favor of medicinal cannabis that is heavily regulated through the TGA.
As of 2025, the Nationals have still not endorsed any federal initiatives to legalise or decriminalise cannabis for recreational use.
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens have been proudly (and loudly) lobbying for cannabis legalisation for many years as a major policy. The current party line is to legalise the production, sale and use of cannabis and cannabis products for recreational use, whilst regulating growth and possession for personal and medicinal use.
In August 2023, Greens New South Wales Senator David Shoebridge introduced The Greens Legalising Cannabis Bill 2023, advocating for adult recreational use of cannabis in the country. This was a historic first in the Australian cannabis debate. Unfortunately, the bill did not receive the support of both Parliament houses in a 2024 voting, losing in a 13 to 24 vote against progress.
Still, the Greens remain optimistic that cannabis will one day find its way to legalisation in the country.
"One day soon we will be able to sit together in a cannabis cafe and chill out together - preferably with a locally grown organic latte," Shoebridge said in a statement following the 2024 voting. "Labor and the Coalition can’t hold us in the 1950’s for much longer."
Minor parties in the House of Representatives
- Centre Alliance — Member of Parliament Rebekha Sharkie spoke in support of a medicinal cannabis bill in February 2021 and believes medicinal cannabis should be included in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
- Independent — There are no public policies available for members of parliament Helen Haines, Zali Steggall or Andrew Wilkie, although Wilkie was the major push behind legalising hemp as a material and food source in Australia.
- Katter's Australia Party — Bob Katter is not pro-legalisation, and joked in parliament, "I didn't know marijuana was legal in Canberra and I can now understand why the country has gone to pot."
- Liberal Party of Queensland — The party has no public policy, but it is presumed to be the same as the Australian Liberal Party and Nationals as they are a coalition.
- United Australia Party — The party wants a standard on synthetic dangerous drugs, including cannabis.
Minor parties in the Senate
- Centre Alliance — Senator Stirling Griff voted against expanding medicinal cannabis in 2017. As of writing, this still holds no public policy on record and the party has not made any updates on its stance.
- Country Liberal Party — The party has no public policy on record, but is known to have a strict policy on drugs and intoxication in general.
- Jacqui Lambie Network — The party has policies to address the problems facing everyday Tasmanians in accessing medicinal cannabis, and believes it should be a doctor/patient issue and not a political/bureaucratic issue. The Guardian said in 2015 that Senator Jacqui Lambie introduced a private member's bill aiming to allow parents to admit their drug-addicted children into treatment facilities, reflecting her commitment to addressing drug-related issues through intervention and support.
- Pauline Hanson's One Nation — The party has stated, "One Nation upholds the right of Australians to access medical cannabis, that may give them quality of life and life itself." The party is said to be supportive of medical cannabis but opposed to legalisation and decriminalisation. However, it has a history of blocking motions like the 2017 bid to fast-track medicinal cannabis for the terminally ill.
Pro-cannabis parties in Australian politics
There are several smaller pro-cannabis parties; of particular note is the Legalise Cannabis Australia Party. It was first founded as Help End Marijuana Prohibition (known by its clever and catchy acronym HEMP) in 1993 by Nigel Quinlan, who ran under the candidate name Nigel Freemarijuana.
The group, which changed its name to Legalise Cannabis Australia in September 2021, has a number of policies around legalising and regulating cannabis for personal use, industrial use and medicinal use.
A subgroup of Legalise Cannabis Australia is the Legalise Cannabis Queensland Party, which was officially approved by the Australian Electoral Commission in September 2020 and ran in the October 2020 state election. The party garnered 2.2 percent of the vote, the fourth highest overall. The Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party won two Upper House seats in the 2021 state election.
In June of this year, the Legalise Cannabis party made a coordinated push to legalise possession and the growing of small quantities of cannabis when they introduced a bill in three states simultaneously: Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia. Named the “Regulation of Personal Adult Use of Cannabis Bill 2023,” it mirrors the ACT's 2020 model and would allow adults to possess up to 50 grams of dried cannabis or 150 grams of fresh cannabis if passed. Adults could also cultivate a maximum of six cannabis plants for personal use, but it would remain an offence to sell cannabis and have a strict prohibition on access for individuals under 18.
The Reason Party (formerly the Australian Sex Party) advocates for cannabis to be legalised, regulated and taxed. The party is currently only represented in the Victorian Legislative Council by Fiona Patton and is not represented at a federal level. In 2021, Patten chaired a foundational committee that provided a report on findings and recommendations on cannabis policy to the Victorian parliament.
Cannabis legalisation gaining political ground
Despite a lack of change in many politicians’ platforms or stances on cannabis legalisation, the Australian public is more pro-legalisation than ever, with over 40 percent in favour — nearly doubling since 2013, according to The Guardian.
Beyond public support, Legalise Cannabis saw small but significant gains in the Senate during the last elections in Australia. Additionally, the new bills put forward by Legalise Cannabis and the Greens will be worth watching.
These factors seem to suggest that marijuana legalisation, even beyond strictly medicinal, might become more popular with the political parties of Australia in the next several years.
In January 2024, YouGov analysed public data on Australia's view on legalising cannabis and found that 50 percent of the surveyed population said they are for legalisation.
50 percent said yes to legalising personal cannabis plants, while 54 percent are in favour of decriminalising cannabis.
“This survey experiment shows that the majority of Australian voters support both propositions ... This support is consistent across states and age groups," commented YouGov Director of Polling Amir Daftari.
This is an updated version of an article first published by the Investing News Network in 2021.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Ryan Sero, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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