Greens Senator David Shoebridge has defended the NSW government's controversial proposed marijuana driving laws, stating it was 'about bloody time' the changes were made. During a heated debate with Nationals MP Kevin Hogan on Sky News, Shoebridge described the current laws on THC levels while driving as 'stupid'.
New Legislation Details
The new legislation, introduced by Labor, will allow drivers with a medical marijuana prescription to legally drive with a THC level below 50 nanograms per millilitre. If caught with higher levels, drivers will receive two warnings before their licence is affected. Shoebridge emphasised that the law only permits 'very small amounts of THC' that evidence suggests will not impair driving.
'People have been getting prescription cannabis, just like they get other prescription drugs,' Shoebridge told Sky News host Pete Stefanovic. 'The law as it currently stands is if you have the tiniest amount of prescription cannabis in your system, not impairing your driving, just the tiniest amount, you might have had some prescription cannabis the day before or two days before, you lose your licence like that.'
Debate Heats Up
Kevin Hogan spoke out against the changes, describing them as a 'slippery slope' and arguing that allowing a small amount will only lead to higher amounts in the future. Shoebridge hit back, saying: 'Kevin might want to take the licence off, you know, a 70-year-old woman in his electorate who's got prescription cannabis, who needs it for pain medication, who has it at a level that doesn't impair her driving. He might want to whack her. I don't. I think it's bloody stupid.'
Hogan dubbed Shoebridge 'rude and arrogant' in response, pointing to the Greens MP’s treatment of NSW police last month. He referred to a video posted online by Shoebridge in which the senator was subjected to roadside drug testing at a cannabis rally in Nimbin. At the time, Shoebridge came under fire for criticising roadside testing to the police officer mid-test.
'David has approached this because he's rude and arrogant to police doing their job wanting to do drug and alcohol tests when they're driving around the streets and obviously we want to do that to keep the roads safe,' Hogan said on Thursday. 'We want to keep our roads as safe as we can and I support the police, unlike David, doing drug and alcohol testing on drivers and I would never be rude to a police officer doing that.'
Political Implications
The NSW Greens’ support of the legislation will be crucial for its passage through parliament. Shoebridge expressed frustration that the reforms took years to achieve, saying: 'I can't believe that getting these reforms has taken years.' The debate highlights the ongoing divide over drug policy in Australia, with medical cannabis advocates pushing for more lenient regulations while opponents warn of potential risks to road safety.
