Court documents show in 1994 Mr Lynch was found guilty of one count of "having in his possession, for sale, a quantity of methylamphetamine valued at about $1200".

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Mr Lynch said the conviction had resulted in a "lifetime of regret".

Tasmanian Senator Claire Chandler said on Thursday Mr Lynch and Labor "had serious questions to answer".

The Labor Party has been contacted for comment.

"Methylamphetamine, or 'meth' is a very dangerous illicit drug, which has had a devastating impact on people's lives in Tasmania and the North-West Coast community in particular," Senator Chandler said in a statement.

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"Why are voters just finding out about this?

"It should also be noted that $1200 would have been a significant amount of illicit methylamphetamine in 1994, when the weekly wage was less than $600.

"Did Mr Lynch disclose this matter to the Labor Party as part of his endorsement process?"

University of Tasmania political science professor Richard Herr said the conviction did not disqualify Mr Lynch from running for parliament.

"As I understand, for a candidate the only disqualifying conviction is one for bankruptcy," he said.

"If a member [of parliament] has committed a crime while they are a member they can be disqualified, but that does not apply to candidates.

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"In this situation it is up to the electorate to decide."

Mr Lynch said he had "never tried to hide" it.

"Instead I have learned from it, and worked to repay my debt to society," he said.

Dr Herr said it did raise questions about transparency, but Mr Lynch had served his sentence.

"I am not sure everyone is obliged, when they apply for public office, to stand in a public square and say this is all I have done," he said.

"This is why people do not stand for public office.

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"They don't want their life to be trawled through and I think we should be careful in calling for perfection.

"There is a natural justice argument that if you paid for your infraction you shouldn't be forced to pay for it again and again."

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has previously backed his candidate.

"Proud to have Chris Lynch as Labor's candidate for Braddon," Mr Albanese said in a tweet in July 2021.

Senator Chandler questioned whether Mr Albanese was aware of the conviction.

"Does Mr Lynch maintain the support of the Labor party?" she said.

More to come.

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