ACT's cannabis legalisation bill still has many unanswered questions

By while laws legalising the drug for personal use might be passed, the government has warned that possessing and growing the drug could still get you into trouble.

While legalising cannabis is a step in the right direction, it's a step that is still just as fraught as it was last year when Michael Pettersson first introduced his private member's bill.

Back then, he was adamant the bill - a simple and short amendment to existing laws - would bring Canberra in line with community expectations.

And while the bill does have the support of many Canberrans, as well as ACT Labor and the Greens, the devil has always been in the detail.

And, even as the bill looks set to pass within days, there are still many questions that remain unanswered.

The government has released its response to a report examining the proposed laws, and will make several amendments to the bill.

For instance, the government would cap the number of plants that could be grown at each house at four - rather than the limit only being applied per person, as is the case in the current bill.

It will change the bill to allow just two plants per person, rather than four, and will also rule out growing cannabis in places like community gardens.

There is also a concerted effort to make the bill more compatible with Commonwealth laws, with the government planning to introduce amendments that would keep possession and cultivation of cannabis in the Drugs of Dependence Act.

But while anyone over the age of 18 years of age would be exempt from the offences, it's still not clear how the bill will interact with existing drug-driving laws.

And, of course, as with any progressive new Canberra law - previous examples include marriage equality and euthanasia - there's the looming threat of Commonwealth government intervention.

"It is important to note that, even after the passage of this bill, possessing and growing cannabis will carry a degree of risk arising from interactions between territory and Commonwealth law," the government's response said.

"We believe the ACT is able and entitled to make our own laws on this matter.

"However, we would be the first jurisdiction in Australia to legislate in this way, and the interaction with existing Commonwealth law remains untested."

There's also the fact that the premise of the bill - allowing people to possess and grow cannabis in small amounts - still assumes the existence of a black market in the first place.

Where does an individual obtain seeds to grow the plants in the first place, and how can they be sure of their provenance?

The bill also fails to address the very real health risks associated with heavy use of cannabis, and the way police interact with regular users and the health system.

Pettersson maintains that removing penalties and charges associated with small amounts of cannabis would go some way towards reducing "harm and stigma".

"I believe these amendments are measured and designed to ensure police can continue to do their job properly," he says.

But while many more months could be whiled away debating the pros and cons, it will always remain to be seen how the law will play out in real time.