Police said they would not be arresting protesters in possession of or smoking cannabis outside their stations today - as long as they were peaceful.

Hundreds of protesters gathered at 26 police stations around the country late this afternoon to push for the drug to become legal for medicinal and recreational use of it.

The maximum penalty for possession of the class C drug is three months in jail and / or a $500 fine, with the maximum penalty for importing and supplying it eight years imprisonment.

The number of people being charged with cannabis related offences has fallen in recent years - an indication Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell says shows police are changing their stance, but still have a job to do.

"We hear that they're frustrated around wasting time on low level offending - they'd rather be going after the big guys," he said.

"[But] the police enforce the law of the land. If we're wanting to change the law, it's not going to be the police. It's going to be the Government."