The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which includes that nation’s capital city, Canberra, became the first Australian jurisdiction to enact a law legalizing recreational marijuana. The bill, which passed on Wednesday, Sept. 25, allows residents 18 and older to possess up to 50 grams and grow up to four cannabis plants per household; it takes effect on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.
While it may seem like a major triumph for cannabis legalization that one place or another is making such strides, they are often merely baby steps, limited to a territory or a state rather than affecting an entire nation. Only a few countries, such as Canada, South Africa, Georgia and Uruguay, have opted for nationwide legalization.
Recreational marijuana is still federally banned in Australia, carrying a potential prison sentence of up to two years for possession, although medical use has been legal nationwide since 2016. Even in the ACT, cannabis users still risk arrest, fines and jail time under Australian federal law. “This does not entirely remove the risk of people being arrested under Commonwealth law, and we are being up front with the community about that,” ACT Atty. Gen. Gordon Ramsay told the Legislative Assembly.
America Leads the Charge
That the ACT’s new policy contradicts federal law is not unlike the situation in the U.S., where 11 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana but it remains a federal crime. That is not a coincidence. As the bill’s explanatory statement explains, the moves to legalize marijuana in various North American jurisdictions guided the decision to support legalization in the ACT.
“Recent international developments have seen nine U.S. states and the District of Columbia legalize cannabis not just for personal use but legalizing the industry. Canada has also legalized the sale and possession of cannabis and is in the process of setting up their market,” writes the Australian Labor Party’s Michael Pettersson, who sponsored the bill, in its explanatory statement.
Even matters of domestic policy in the U.S. significantly influence the rest of the world, as the international community has its eyes on us. While the U.S. is mostly insulated from international news, American news make international headlines daily. Virtually every person on the planet has by now heard about Donald Trump’s latest scandal, seen the latest Hollywood blockbuster or knows at least the broad lines of public debate in America. Other countries like Australia—but also New Zealand, in which a referendum is currently being prepared to gauge interest in cannabis law reform—often follow in our country’s footsteps. As such, it is our responsibility to be a role model worth following.
