bloodshot_eyes

If people do not stop stripping the shelves faster than we can replace the stock that is exactly what has to happen. Italy, along with many other countries now have the military on the streets for civil duties. Our military is already deployed on Kangaroo island for bush fire clean up and they are doing a fantastic job over there. People are too fucking selfish and stupid to not stop hoarding food, despite there been no shortage in supplies. If there are guards in fatigues manning cues and limiting numbers in shops at a time, they only have themselves to blame. In many countries, there is now heavily restricted grocery shopping, with guards limiting numbers in the shop and purchases. This is what the rest of the world is doing as we sit here going "nah, shell be right mate". This virus is for real man, a lot of people are likely to die. I really hope I am wrong on that but it is looking worse by the day.

This! I am starting to get worried... very worried. I am looking at how countries all around the world are acting, even developing countries in Central and South America, and comparing that to how we are acting and it is alarming. Australia is not taking this seriously enough. Scott Morrison is stalling, trying to limit the damage to an economy that is stuffed no matter what we do now and it is likely to lead to the deaths of thousands - tens of thousands. I honestly fear that Scott Morrison is also of the belief that it is all in Gods hands, given his Pentecostal faith. We need a total lock down of non-essential business and for the military to take control of the food supply chain or else we're fucked!

I saw it at 98c somewhere in Adelaide today!

Are there any of our members currently in ACT? The situation is a little vague from what I can tell but it seems as if your risk of getting into trouble with pot over there is now much much lower. What's if like on the ground over there ACT members?

This is awesome news. This country really needs to pull its finger out and legalise it already!

Well, it seems that whether or not people can punished for possessing or using cannabis in Canberra after Jan 31 will come down to the first legal precedent set, should ACT police enforce Federal law over state law. A judge will have to decide on this complex situation and that will set the precedent in common law. As it stands at the moment, police follow ACT law instead of federal law in that possession and cultivation of two plants in decriminalised. That does set some precedent. This is an odd one. "And, really, the sooner the better." PHOTO: Federal prosecutors initially advised that Canberra smokers would be protected, then rescinded that advice. The role of Commonwealth prosecutors is interesting, as the ACT's position is partly based on advice provided by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to the ACT before the cannabis bill was passed. The Commonwealth DPP advised that the legislation would likely be available as a defence to someone charged with a Commonwealth offence, and as such it might decide not to prosecute. However, it rescinded that advice just a week after it provided it. Professor Manderson believes the ACT is on reasonably solid ground and cannabis users will be protected by its laws. In fact he said the Commonwealth loophole even went as far as to protect those who "reasonably believed" they were acting legally under separate state or territory laws. "It seems to me, if the ACT Government believes, as it obviously does, that the territory law protects ACT consumers from federal prosecution, it would surprise me if that didn't provide the basis for a strong defence by users to Commonwealth prosecution," he said. Lawyers want more protection for those getting bakedThe Law Society sees an obvious way around all of this, without putting an unlucky Canberran through the hardship of arrest and prosecution just to work out which law prevails. It wants the ACT Government to come to an agreement with ACT Policing not to enforce the Commonwealth law. Could Commonwealth laws quash Canberra's cannabis cornucopia? Cannabis is now legal in Canberra, but what impact will Commonwealth laws have? The society's Michael Kukulies-Smith said the current situation left both cannabis users and police officers in an untenable position. "The Law Society is concerned that the potential for police to still lay charges under the criminal code may lead to inconsistent outcomes for Canberrans based upon the attitudes and approaches taken by individual officers," he said. According to Mr Kukulies-Smith, a formal agreement would resolve the problem. Failing that, he said, it may come to a head in court. However, the Canberra Liberals argued that was far too great a risk to place on ordinary cannabis users — if the laws were bungled, they should be scrapped. Shadow ACT attorney-general Jeremy Hanson said there was still time to put a stop to it all. "When you've got advice from the federal Attorney-General that the law is invalid, then it is reckless to proceed." https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-22/will-cannabis-really-be-legal-in-canberra-next-year/11624726

I did not know that. After looking it up, apparently they once had a police force but it was merged with AFP in 1979. It's strange because the ACT police have said that they will be respecting the ACT cannabis legislation when it comes into effect on Jan 31, contradicting Greg Hunt. I think if anyone gets arrested, it will end up for an interesting case in the high court. That result of that case would set the precedent. It is not clear cut at all at this point. It brings into question their current laws. Possession is decriminalised in ACT and has been for a long time and the ACT police do not arrest people for small time possession anyway, they fine them under ACT law not federal law? It's actually a very odd situation.

Yeah I was just reading on the Guardian. Greg Hunt (federal health minister) basically had a hissy fit saying how irresponsible it is of the ACT to legalise cannabis but said its unlikely that they will need to intervene because it is still illegal under federal law and he expects the federal police to enforce those laws in the ACT. Thing is the federal police are not set up for and have no history of enforcing domestic issues like that. The ACT police will be following the new laws when they come in in January so they will be busting no-one. It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Honestly, I don't think the federal police will have the resources for or even bothered to care about busting pot smokers in Canberra. I think it will get legalised, and this will blow over. Its just the federal liberals having a hissy fit at the moment. We'll have to wait and see how it pans out I guess. In regards to these laws, yeah they are a bit silly but its landmark in that it does legalise the act of smoking and possessing small amounts. Once that genie is out of the bottle, it's not going back in. This will spread over the next decade as Australia joins in on the emerging international cannabis business. I'd say most states will have cannabis available in stores within the decade.

Not sure, possibly something Pedro posted and then edited out at 3:30 am

Apparently the Greens will be putting a bill forward in the South Australian parliament. Their official position is for production licences and retail provisions as well as small scale home growing (5 plants from memory). I can't find were I heard it but if I hear more I'll make a thread. Several progressive pieces of legislation have passed through SA's conservative parliament in recent months with the help of Labor, Greens and independents out voting the liberal government. If legalisation gets passed in SA, being that it is a state parliament with much more autonomy than a territory, there be bugger all the Federal gov can do about it

I'm not sure they can do much apart from ask the federal police to bust people for pot which they are not really geared up for doing. The ACT parliament voted for it, it would be a test of the constitution on state and territory legal autonomy if they tried to challenge that. EDIT I see in that article because it's a territory, they do have power to overturn it. Territories ultimately answer to federal government. If a law like that passes in one of the State Parliaments though, not much the government can do. So yes, risk is there, but it will still cause a s*it fight.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure it would still be illegal to import seeds from overseas because the borders are the jurisdiction of the federal laws. I imagine you can probably legally produce you own seeds though. Only allowed max 4 plants to breed from so not great for breeding. Also would probably be illegal to sell or distribute them, I think Australian laws always recognise seeds as "cannabis matter".

The Genie is out of the bottle. South Australian greens MLC Tammy franks is going to move a bill to SA parliament to legalise cannabis. Its new news and I can only find two paywalled articles so sorry for lack of link. I'm sceptical how it will go in parliament, liberals are in power in SA and the current attorney general has a personal bee in her bonnet about "druggies". But again, the genie is out of the bottle so who knows

I don't know for sure but how it works with decriminalisation in SA is that the weight is only counted on harvested cannabis. If the plants are in the ground and still growing, doesn't matter how big they are. The laws proposed here are not prefect, but they are a start. 10-15 years ago, I wouldn't have thought I'd see legal cannabis in this country in my lifetime.

lol I don't know what to say. If this bloke manages it, I'll drive from Adelaide just to see it