MP wants all dope smokers convicted

[postman]

By PHILLIP COOREY

EXCLUSIVE

20jan06

 

SOUTH Australia's major political parties have been urged to make the personal use of marijuana a criminal offence as part of their state election agendas.

 

SA federal Liberal MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Christopher Pyne, said it was time to recriminalise personal cannabis use in SA because of links to mental health problems.

 

On-the-spot fines for possessing small amounts of cannabis for personal use have applied in SA since 1988.

 

"It's an illicit drug. The message of decriminalisation is this isn't really a problem," Mr Pyne told The Advertiser yesterday.

 

With the advent of hydroponics, marijuana today was much stronger than that of the 1980s and people were smoking it from their early teens, he said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The states bear a heavy burden because of the rush in the '80s and '90s to decriminalise cannabis laws," Mr Pyne said.

 

"It's one thing to have tough-on-drugs rhetoric, but the state needs to crack down on the personal use of cannabis.

 

"They should recriminalise cannabis use in SA."

 

Prime Minister John Howard recently championed the call, saying "far from embracing further decriminalisation, authorities should be going in the opposite direction". Opposition legal affairs spokesman Rob Lawson yesterday hinted the Liberals would unveil such measures closer to the March 18 state election.

 

He said the policy would adopt "a tougher and firmer approach" to the current decriminalisation laws in he state.

 

"We say these laws have not worked," he said.

 

 

 

"We certainly think cannabis laws should be toughened. They're too lenient."

 

Attorney-General Michael Atkinson said the Rann Government had no plans to change the laws but had considerably strengthened its stance against drug use over the past four years.

 

The Government had made it a criminal offence to grow even one plant hydroponically and introduced testing and fines for those driving while on drugs.

 

Fear of being caught driving on drugs would also act as a social deterrent by making people think twice about getting stoned, Mr Atkinson said.

 

"We've also passed tough, new, serious drug offences targeting drug lords who cultivate, manufacture and traffic drugs, in an effort to combat drug availability," he said.

 

Mr Atkinson said the Government had also made a considerable gains in drug education.

 

Personal use of marijuana in SA was decriminalised in 1988 by the then-Bannon Labor government amid concerns small-time users were clogging the courts and receiving criminal records. Initially, a person was allowed a maximum 10 plants in their back yard in return for an on-the-spot fine if busted.

 

That amount was reduced to one plant by successive governments.

 

Currently in SA, being caught with one non-hydroponic plant or less than 100g of cannabis attracts a maximum fine of $150.

 

Having between 100g and 2kg of the drug, or between two and 19 plants, will guarantee a person a court appearance.

 

Being caught with more means between two and 25 years in prison and fines ranging from $2000 to $500,000.

 

Mr Pyne will outline his case in a speech to the National Young Liberal Convention in Sydney on Sunday.

 

http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/commo...255E910,00.html

[HighRising]

Sigh.

 

I can't believe these people are being paid out of my tax dollars, to represent my interests.

[raverspec]

w3rd

[Hanky]

I fail to see how convictions will address his concerns over mental health. Am I missing something or is this guy just thick?

[Infinitee]

Thick as a Plank, Hank.

 

"It's an illicit drug. The message of decriminalisation is this isn't really a problem," Mr Pyne told The Advertiser yesterday.

 

What's the problem? People who shouldn't smoke it, smoke it and complain they need tougher laws?

 

With the advent of hydroponics, marijuana today was much stronger than that of the 1980s and people were smoking it from their early teens, he said.

 

Isn't that why SA's laws specified a non-hydroponic plant? I mean c'mon, for christ's sake!! :mellow:

 

All this crap has been addressed, and SA should be going BACK to be able to have 5 non-hyge MJ plants. Hell knows why they'd go the other way (unless of course, they realised that when more people smoke MJ, maybe less vote liberal or respect authority ).

 

"We certainly think cannabis laws should be toughened. They're too lenient."

 

My fucking arse, they are!!

 

:thumbdown

[jussyjus]

decriminalise, criminalise... For a start make up your minds... Are you stoned or something :smoke

[Guest niall]

With the advent of hydroponics, marijuana today was much stronger than that of the 1980s

 

What research does Mr Pyne have to back up this claim?

[Infinitee]

They mustn't have heard of mullumbimby madness.

 

I've seen the research they commonly use for that argument, American one, comparing 1980's kentucky hemp or something (2%) to hydroponic american weed (17% or something). It's crazy.

[didj]

I always wonder how funny it would be to plant drugs on these guys...

The media attention would be classic, not to mention them trying to explain it to their colleages

Edited January 20, 2006 by didj

[Blind Melon Chitlin]

Good on the Demo's for replying to this bullshit with this statement in today's Advertiser 21-1-06...

 

 

 

 

Drug idea 'dopey'

 

21jan06

THE Democrats have labelled calls by federal Liberal MP Christopher Pyne to recriminalise marijuana as "dopey".

 

Mr Pyne, Parliamentary Secretary for Health, wants the issue on the agenda for the March 18 state election.

 

But Democrats leader Sandra Kanck said the move would damage career prospects of marijuana users.