Australia spends billions ‘failing to police’ cannabis that earns black market $25bn a year, Greens say

Greens senator David Shoebridge will be introducing legislation to legalise cannabis in Australia. Photograph: Jason O’Brien/AAP

Australia’s cannabis industry could be earning the black market $25bn a year and, rather than policing it, we could be gaining revenue from it by legalising it, Greens senator David Shoebridge has said.

“Law enforcement is spending billions of public dollars failing to police cannabis, and the opportunity here is to turn that all on its head by legalising it,” he said.