Organiser Joe Nicholson said cannabis was already effectively legal since the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme was introduced in 2020, but police needed to catch up.
An incident last month where Roxburgh man Chris Stuart had his cannabis prescription seized by police highlighted issues with the current rules, Mr Nicholson.
He had a prescription himself and it was ridiculous people could be prescribed cannabis for anxiety, but then be subjected to police searches.
"We shouldn’t have to justify why we’re smoking and consuming medical cannabis to the police for any reason," Mr Nicholson said.
There was also a lack of clarity in the regime, with some doctors prescribing blindly without much oversight or guidance.
Cost also was prohibitive for many people who could otherwise benefit from safe and regulated access to cannabis, and some people had their doctors tell them to buy cannabis on the black market due to the expense of the legal products, he said.
Ultimately, he believed the law should be changed under urgency to legalise recreational use, along the lines of the regulatory regime proposed by Green Party MP Chloe Swarbrick.
The referendum on her Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill failed by 67,662 votes at the 2020 election.
"We do want safe access for cannabis, we want to educate people about it," Mr Nicholson said.
Cannabis user Juz Page was at the protest on Saturday.
The drug was like medicine and was good for a variety of ailments, from insomnia to back pain, Ms Page said.
