Liberal Democrat Senator and Ron Swanson-like libertarian David Leyonhjelm made a speech in Canberra this week calling for the legalisation of all marijuana use in Australia.
Leyonhjelm began with a story about the “unconscionable” decision to arrest a father who gave his two-year-old daughter cannabis oil to alleviate the pain and fits associated with aggressive Stage 4 neuroblastoma.
He then went on to say that while he supports legislation of medical marijuana for “compassionate reasons”, this is just a half-measure, and that Australia should go one step further, and legalise all marijuana use.
While clarifying that he personally does not endorse having a puff for its own sake, Leyonhelm highlighted several key points in favour of the drug’s legalisation, including economic benefits to the government.
His main argument, however, was that the choice to do the drug comes down to the individual, and “it is not a legitimate use of government power to prohibit adults from doing something that does not harm others.”
You can watch the full speech below. While Leyonhjelm’s microphone was attached to the podium, denying him the chance to drop it, his point was still fairly clear:
