12,000 Let Off As Law Goes To Pot

[Tom]

12,000 LET OFF AS LAW GOES TO POT

 

THOUSANDS of pot smokers are being let off without criminal charges every year because the law is too soft, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

 

NSW Police have been instructed to dole out caution notices to offenders rather than charging them - and now 12,266 people have escaped punishment.

 

In addition, its traffic services department charges more than 1000 motorists with driving while under the influence of illegal drugs every year.

 

Last night the Government was accused of legalising cannabis through the back door.

 

Shadow Attorney-General Andrew Tink said: "This is all about decriminalising cannabis by stealth. Too many people are getting away with using cannabis without so much as a slap on the wrist."

 

Cannabis is now by far the most commonly used drug in Australia.

 

Figures released by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre show that one third of Australians have tried it.

 

About 34 per cent of youngsters 14-19 have smoked pot and 59 per cent of people aged 20-29 regularly have a joint.

 

However, the NSW Government denies it has gone soft on pot.

 

A spokesman for Special Minister of State John Della Bosca said last night: "The cannabis caution scheme is about education. It's trying to find an effective way of influencing people's behaviour."

 

Under the cannabis caution trial, police can issue on-the-spot cautions to adults caught with less than 15g of cannabis. It works on a three strikes and you're out basis, with repeat offenders charged and taken to court.

 

Research reveals that drugs, or a combination of alcohol and drugs, is a factor in more than 15 per cent of driver fatalities.

 

"Drug driving is a menace and police won't tolerate it," Police Minister John Watkins said.

 

 

Author: Martin Wallace

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004

Website: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/

Copyright: 2004 News Limited

 

[Brash]

59 per cent of people aged 20-29 regularly have a joint.

Do we all vote, people? If this ifgure is true and every pot smoker voted for the Greens we would have legal cannabis one week after the next election.

[lsd]

Do we all vote, people?

well we could all vote for the greens and be smoking green quite a bit, but i dont really want them in a position of such power. Theyd probably screw everything else up

[Oz]

Saw this one when it was published though decided not to post it as it was nothing more than propaganda bullshit...

 

"The Daily Telegraph can reveal." oh please soon as I read this I thought here we go...

 

All they are doing is trying to attack the warning system (Australia created) that has been adopted by a lot of other nations cause it's proven to work

 

After I read this article I decided I wouldn't be buying anymore obviously bias & misinformed Daily Telegraph propaganda.

[Tom]

well we could all vote for the greens and be smoking green quite a bit,  but i dont really want them in a position of such power. Theyd probably screw everything else up

When Bob Brown was leader of the Tasmanian Greens they held the balance of power there for a while and made the government increase spending on schools, health, public transport, the environment and many other things. The Greens are experienced with balance of power situations and the responsibility to do what is best for the people and if a government finds that any party or independent holding that balance of power won't allow a certain piece of legislation to pass into law or whatever then the government can call a "double dissolution" and take the matter to the people.

 

Saw this one when it was published though decided not to post it as it was nothing more than a propaganda bullshit...

 

"The Daily Telegraph can reveal." oh please soon as I read this I thought here we go...

 

All they are doing is trying to attack the warning system (Australia created) that has been adopted by a lot of other nations cause it's proven to work

Yeah, this crap always surfaces around election time, after it has gone on for a while one of the papers favourite politicians will probably be asked how he/she will handle the problem.

 

After I read this article I decided I wouldn't be buying anymore obviously bias & misinformed Daily Telegraph propaganda.

Maybe a few other NSW stoners will do the same?

 

[pixel]

yeah I'd have to agree on the propaganda comment...and 59% of people in that age bracket "regularly have a joint" ?? I doubt it very much!

As far as voting for the Greens, I would rather see them in a position of power than the bi-partisan arseholes we get stuck with year in year out.

 

DON"T WASTE YOUR SAY BY VOTING LIBERAL/LABOR...VOTE GREENS ! ..otherwise we'll just keep getting more of the same old bullshit (well that's just my opinion)

[free choice]

VOTE GREEN ..... prohibition is obscene

 

ONE IN THREE AUSTRALIAN HAVE SMOKE MARIJUANA

 

that's MAJORITY folks ..

[pixel]

one in three? really? if that's true, then woohoo!! but is it really true?..I mean how could sucha thing be measured?

[jonbrown]

dunno about 1 in 3... sounds a bit high

yeh, let more ppl off, and get rid of the invasive sniffer dogs! Silly law when ppl can buy alcohol and cigarettes legally when they cause more problems in society than pot, which cannot be obtained legally here.

 

I'll be voting Greens...Again.

[WantDaChronic]

as far as im concerned no matter who is in power they will let it go to their head and fuck us over in the long run anyway.

 

So which ever group offers the sweetest deals regarding the things im concerned over will get my vote..At the moment and for the past couple of years its been GREENS ALL THE WAY im my opinion...

 

they got my vote come election time and i hope they win