Marijuana enthusiasts and pro-legalisation activists have descended on Melbourne’s Flaggstaff Gardens to mark the annual “4/20” event.
The rally in the city’s CBD aims to raise awareness for the legislation of cannabis, recreational use of which is banned in all Australian states.
This year’s event, featuring the slogan “Who are we hurting?”, is expected to include state MPs from the Legalize Cannabis Australia Party.
Western Metro Region MP David Etterhshank and South-East Metro MP Rachel Payne indicated they would be attending the rally.
In a post to her Instagram on Saturday, Ms Payne called for an “end to the prohibition” adjoined with a picture of what appeared to be a lit cigarette.
“Looking forward to catching up with the canna (cannabis) community today,” she said.
Both MPs appeared at an earlier event on Friday outside of state parliament run by the artist collective, The Craze Co.
Posts by the group show the pair in front of what appeared to be caged plants with signs reading “The war on weed, a royal failure indeed”,Only about 1.7 per cent of Australians residing in the ACT have access to decriminalised, recreational cannabis, according to advocates.
Recreational cannabis is otherwise illegal in every Australian state, though NSW is set to launch a probe into its prohibition.
A number of countries have legalised marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, including Canada, the Netherlands, and Portugal.
NSW police have been contacted.