Canberra to become first city in Australia to legalise cannabis

Canberra will become the first city in Australia to legalise the possession, use and cultivation of small of amounts of cannabis.

A bill allowing people aged 18 or over to possess up to 50 grams per person was passed by politicians in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) on Wednesday.

The law also allows for those over 18 in Canberra, the country's capital, to have a maximum of four plants per household.

Possession of small amounts of marijuana has been decriminalised throughout Australia, but the ACT is the first of Australia's eight states and territories to take the next step of legalising possession and cultivation.

Cannabis will be legal in Canberra, which has a population of around 400,000, from 31 January 2020.

The opposition in the ACT was against the bill with shadow attorney general Jeremy Hanson arguing it could lead to "perverse outcomes", as possession and using cannabis will be still illegal under national law.

But ACT Labor politician Michael Pettersson told Paste BN Australia he would be "amazed" if prosecutors brought a charge against a cannabis user in the territory.

He said: "Prosecutors will not be bringing charges because, quite simply, there is a complete defence to the commonwealth drug charge.

"There won't be a territory offence and they'll have a complete defence to the commonwealth charge."

Medical marijuana has been available in Australia to patients with doctors' prescriptions since 2017.

Neighbouring New Zealand will hold a referendum next year on legalising cannabis for personal use.