The Legalise Cannabis Queensland (LCQ) Party is calling on all Queenslanders to support a new GetUp campaign opposing the Queensland Government’s proposed random drug driving laws, which would impose harsher penalties on legally prescribed medicinal cannabis patients than those applying to many comparable drink driving offences. The State Government is aiming to push these laws through by 1st December, without any formal review.
The proposed legislation would continue Queensland’s current system of roadside saliva testing, which detects only the presence of THC rather than whether a driver is actually impaired. Unlike random breath testing for alcohol, which measures impairment through blood alcohol concentration, roadside drug testing cannot determine whether a person is unsafe to drive. THC can remain detectable for days or even weeks after any impairing effects have disappeared.
Under the proposed changes, medicinal cannabis patients who have followed their doctor’s advice could face mandatory penalties simply because traces of legally prescribed medication remain in their system. Judges would no longer have the discretion to consider whether the person was actually impaired at the time of driving. The LCQ Party believes these laws are harsh, discriminatory and fundamentally unjust.
Queensland is estimated to have around 450,000 legally prescribed medicinal cannabis patients. Many live with disability, chronic pain, cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, anxiety disorders and other serious medical conditions. These are Queenslanders who are managing their health under the supervision of qualified medical practitioners.
The consequences of these laws extend far beyond individual patients. Medicinal cannabis users include taxi drivers, rideshare drivers, truck drivers, couriers, food delivery workers, tradespeople and countless other employees who rely on a driver’s licence to earn a living. Many police officers, firefighters, paramedics, SES volunteers, defence veterans and other frontline workers also use medicinal cannabis to treat work-related injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
If these laws force hundreds of thousands of Queenslanders to surrender their licences, the economic and social consequences would be enormous. Many people would lose their livelihoods, while others would face the impossible choice between following their doctor's prescribed treatment or retaining the ability to drive to work, medical appointments and family responsibilities.
The LCQ Party wishes to make its position absolutely clear. We do not support anyone driving while impaired. Anyone who drives while genuinely impaired by alcohol, cannabis or any other substance should face appropriate legal consequences. However, impairment should be the test, not the mere presence of a legally prescribed medicine.
The proposed legislation singles out medicinal cannabis patients in a way that no other prescription medication users are treated. Patients taking medications that may also affect driving are generally assessed on actual impairment rather than simply having detectable traces of medication in their bodies. This creates a two-tier system that unfairly targets people living with disability and chronic illness.
The LCQ Party urges the Queensland Government to adopt evidence-based laws that focus on driver impairment rather than outdated presence-based testing. Road safety and compassion can coexist. The LCQ Party encourages all Queenslanders to sign the GetUp petition and stand with medicinal cannabis patients in calling for fair, scientifically based and non-discriminatory road safety laws.
15 July, 2026
