Major Policy Announcement – April Fools
Legalise Cannabis Party Proposes Australia-wide Alcohol Bans and Immediate Dry Zones Reintroduced across Victoria
Victorian senate candidate for Legalise Cannabis, Fiona Patten, is calling for alcohol bans to be adopted across the country, starting with immediate ‘dry zones’ re-introduced in Victoria.
‘Members of Parliament in both state and federal politics tell the Legalise Cannabis Party that their opposition to cannabis reform is because they are intent on protecting people’s health and well-being,’ she said.
‘Well, I’m all about evidence-driven reform and after hearing their concerns, I feel compelled to protect Victorians from themselves. Alcohol dry zones across the state would be a great first step – and a step back in time.’
Ms Patten points to a law dating back to the 1920s that once banned the sale of alcohol in parts of Victoria in response to a number of citizen referendums.
‘Of course, times have changed and asking the people what they want is too risky,’ she said.
‘You just cannot trust adults to make adult decisions anymore, and listening to them is not good governing. If it was, cannabis would be legal.’
Ms Patten said this is not the only prohibition-based law to have been introduced in the 1920s – cannabis was banned in Victoria in 1926.
“It makes sense to reunify alcohol and cannabis prohibition laws from the 1920s for everyone’s safety.”
‘Make Prohibition Great Again,’ she said.
Victorian MPs Rachel Payne and David Ettershank want government to model an eventual alcohol ban on cannabis prohibition. It’s an approach that costs $2.1 billion a year to enforce, but it successfully seizes up to 2.6 per cent of the illicit cannabis in Australia EVERY YEAR!
‘Sure, the illicit cannabis market is worth about $5 billion and controlled by organised crime gangs, but there is no way a bootlegging industry would spring up if alcohol was banned,’ Ms Payne said.
Mr Ettershank said internal costings show the eventual enforcement of alcohol prohibition would cost taxpayers close to $420 billion.
‘But police will be able to wind back roadside breath-testing when alcohol is banned, so it’s a win for taxpayers,’ he said.
The three Legalise Cannabis members said that prohibition in Australia was pushed by lobby groups who depicted alcohol as the enemy of a sedate home life.
‘We must protect Australian values’, Ms Patten said. ‘We must ensure every Australian has the right to a sedate home life 