Legal status of cannabis cultivation in South Australia

[Boku_]

Is it true that in the state of South Australia the states legislation and laws allow for a recreational cannabis user to grow up to five marijuana plants for private personal home use? That's what i heard back in the late 90's, is that still the scenario in SA? Hopefully a bluelighter who resides in SA or is familiar with SA's laws can fill me in

I tried googling and the link i found is a little hard to understand and vague to say the least. But from what i could understand the possession and supply of marijuana is illegal but outdoor cultivating of five or less plants is fine. Cultivating cannabis plants outdoors is fine but cultivating planets in a indoor hydroponic set up is not tolerated. This last two statements is based purely on what i read in the link below and is very much a assumption and not fact.

http://www.lsc.sa.gov.au/dsh/ch12s07.php

I am only asking out if curiosity and i have no intentions of migrating to SA as weed is not my choice of drug but i must say if it is the case that the cultivating of five or less cannabis plants is fine according to SA laws but at the same time sex work and prostitution is deemed illegal and the act of a sex worker providing sexual services to a client for cash payment is punishable by SA law and equally men( and women who pay also i guess) who take part in the act of exchanging cash in return for sexual services are liable for legal prosecution by South Australian law enforcement than that really is weird. Every other state and territory in Australia other than South Australia has prostitution laws that decriminalise sex work and allow clients to pay for sexual services without breaking the law.

As a South Australian sex worker i stayed with in Melbourne told me Adelaide is just a small country town that is nice to raise a family in but as far as excitement and entertainment don't expect much.

 

[Crankinit]

Adelaide is just a small country town that is nice to raise a family in but as far as excitement and entertainment don't expect much.

More or less. It's what you'd get if you took the least interesting 20% chunk of Melbourne and dropped it out by itself in the desert. Flat, boring, a bit closed off, and I've noticed (and had other people make the same comment) that outside of the drug scene the people are a bit close minded and stand-offish. And there's just not a whole lot to do outside of regular day to day life and getting off tap. Whatever hobbies or interests you have, unless you can engage in them in isolation, it's likely Adelaide only has a small scene for it, if any at all. There aren't enough people here to sustain any niche interests or pursuits you might have. The beaches are shit with no surf, there are no rainforests, it's flat ugly desert in three directions - there are at least some trees in the hills down south (although the local council seem to be working as hard as they can to cut as many of them down as possible).

As for weed, I'm not a big stoner, but from memory (of conversations taking place while off tap, in fairness) there is a certain number of plants which it is legal to grow, I've been told anywhere between 2 and 6.

Possession of up to an ounce is more or less decriminalised - the cops will just confiscate it and any paraphernalia and give you a fine for a couple hundred. At least, that was the case 7 or 8 years ago.

 

[Boku_]

Thanks for the reply Crankinit. I asked the same question in another forum just for kicks and got this conflicting reply from a receptionist living in Adelaide.


"It is not legal to grow any cannabis in South Australia. 19 plants and under is a minor indictable offence and you will likely charged with cultivation. 20 plants and over is major indictable offence and you will be likely charged with cultivate, commercial supply and traffick.

However if you have equipment such as scales, bags, etc you will be charged with selling a commercial quantity of cannabis.

If you have 1 plant, you will receive a on the spot fine."

So the jury is out as far as whether it's decriminalised to grow a small amount of marijuana plants for personal use in SA. HOWEVER i did find a online article from Vice that stated

"It's harvest time in the Southern Hemisphere, which is a particularly satisfying period in the state of South Australia. While most of the country languishes under archaic drug laws, the Festival State decriminalized weed possession way back in 1987 (with the Australian Capital Territory following suit in 1993). There have been a few alterations to the law since, but SA is still Australia's most weed-friendly state."

Also in the Vice article was this
"It's important to note that South Australia isn't the pot utopia you might imagine. Possessing marijuana is still a crime; it's just that it's akin to a traffic violation. Of the 10,000 or so cannabis consumers the police interact with every year, 90 percent receive expiation notices and go on their way. Holding 25 grams attracts a fine of $150, which goes up to $300 for 100 grams (assuming you have no criminal record). Growers of up to five outdoor plants of unlimited size will meet a similar fate, which draws a line between those involved in trafficking, and those who share with friends.?

So it looks like a little googling got me the answer i was seeking.

So if the punishment for weed possession is similar to a traffic ticket in SA how does that compared to get busted in Victoria for possession of a small amount of drugs like a few grams of weed or couple of ecstasy pills that would result in being placed on a drug diversion order.

Correct me if i am wrong but a drug diversion placement in Victoria isn't a recorded criminal conviction and is just a small fine with some mandatory drug counselling.