WA Cannabis users - Maximum fines increase more than 10x come August 1st.

[JoshE]

Hey guys, even though this is only relevant to WA smoker's, I'm sure everyone will have something to say

"Dopes to feel the heat under new pot laws"

MAXIMUM fines for possessing small amounts of cannabis will increase more than 10 times when new WA drug laws come into force on August 1.

After 2 1/2 years of promising to get tough on marijuana users, dealers and growers, the Liberal-National Government's "war on drugs" is about to begin.

The penalty for possessing less than 30g of cannabis will jump from a $100 fine to a maximum of $2000 and the possibility of two years in jail.

The penalty for growing up to two marijuana plants is a $200 fine, but that will jump to a maximum $2000 fine and prosecution with the prospect of two years behind bars for growing any number of plants.

And the penalty for businesses caught selling smoking implements to children will increase from $25,000 to a possible $120,000 and two years jail.

"We are declaring war on drugs and this is just the beginning," Police Minister Rob Johnson told The Sunday Times yesterday.

As well as beefed-up fines, anyone found with more than 10g of the drug will be charged with drug possession and face court. If found guilty, they will get a criminal record. Presently, anyone caught with 30g or less receives a small fine and no record.

Other changes include:

* People caught with 10g or less will have to attend mandatory education sessions.

* The sale of smoking implements to adults will also be outlawed, with fines of up to $50,000. At the moment it is an offence only to sell smoking paraphernalia to children.

Mr Johnson admitted the laws had been a long time coming, but said they were vital for WA.

"Just ask any parent whose son or daughter's use of cannabis led to an addiction to harder drugs or caused serious health or mental health problems such as schizophrenia," he said.

"They will tell you that illicit drugs have ripped their family apart and ruined many lives. We owe it to our children to do everything we can to protect their future, which is why this Government makes no apologies for its tough approach on drugs."

But drug experts yesterday cast doubt on whether the laws were sensible.

Steve Allsop, director of the National Drug Research Institute, said cannabis use had declined after the introduction of the laws by Labor in 2003.

"There is no evidence it (Labor's cannabis policy) encouraged use," he said.

He also questioned whether police could enforce the laws.

"Tougher penalties are not likely to have an impact because only about 3 per cent of people who use cannabis are detected by police," Prof Allsop said.

"Directing them all to treatment might not be the best use of limited resources and may limit access to treatment for those who voluntarily seek help.

"Getting a criminal record can have disastrous implications, reducing job options and so on.

"Some might say fine, they broke the law. But a criminal record can marginalise a person, increasing, not decreasing, risks and harm for all of us."

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said he welcomed "any law reforms that will help combat the scourge of this insidious criminal industry in WA".

Under the new laws, the only reprieve for offenders convicted of minor cannabis possession offences is that they will be able to apply to have a conviction spent after three years, provided they are not convicted for further offences in that period.

"I am particularly heartened by the decision that gives people convicted of minor cannabis possession offences (the right) to apply for a spent conviction after three years, which gives them a much better second chance at turning their lives around than the current 10-year wait to earn a spent conviction," Mr O'Callaghan said.

Source

 

[Fieldy]

^ ouch! That's going to piss alot of people off who get busted!

 

[poledriver]

But drug experts yesterday cast doubt on whether the laws were sensible.

Steve Allsop, director of the National Drug Research Institute, said cannabis use had declined after the introduction of the laws by Labor in 2003.

"There is no evidence it (Labor's cannabis policy) encouraged use," he said.

He also questioned whether police could enforce the laws.

^ Yep.

"war on drugs"

Yeah i'm sure your 'war on drugs' (i mean POT) will go really well.... Sarcasm.

 

[infectedmushroom]

Why is this such a common reoccurence? Why do governments consistently take one step forward and two steps back? I'm sure that won't discourage 99.9% of the cannabis smoking population.

MORONS, BLOODY MORONS.

 

[Juvenile]

I'd say it's because the one step forward is when we vote in a progressive party, then in come the conservatives with two steps backwards.
le sigh @ Colin the Bullfrog...

 

[lowlife]

"The penalty for possessing less than 30g of cannabis will jump from a $100 fine to a maximum of $2000 and the possibility of two years in jail."

Uhh.. That seems to be quite extreme..

 

[junkie skumbag]

This fucking sucks!!!!! i better buy a new bong while i can I say we make a petition or somthing.....Theres gotta be somthing we can do!? Fuck what happend to the good old piss drinkin pot smokin australia?! its all became over run with jonny do gooders and unimformed pussys!

 

[tranq]

this is absolutely disgusting, one huge step in the wrong direction for WA

 

[drug_mentor]

This is pretty fucking ridiculous, I am glad I don't live in WA. Surely they don't think this is going to accomplish anything except generating a little revenue which will no doubt be offset by the wasted court time and costs.

Giving people criminal records just makes it more likely they will have to resort to crime for a decent income, especially if they have a drug dependence. Banning smoking implements just leads to increased use of homemade bongs which is very unhealthy. All these laws succeed in doing is increasing the potential harms of cannabis while likely having absolutely zero impact of cannabis usage.

 

[MindlessBilly]

This will not change anything what so ever! They rant & rave on about lives destroyed by cannabis but do they stop to think about how these laws destroy peoples lives far more than smoking a bit of pot? If anything it seems like a grab for cash!

 

[Mr Blonde]

This is pretty fucking ridiculous, I am glad I don't live in WA. Surely they don't think this is going to accomplish anything except generating a little revenue which will no doubt be offset by the wasted court time and costs.

Giving people criminal records just makes it more likely they will have to resort to crime for a decent income, especially if they have a drug dependence. Banning smoking implements just leads to increased use of homemade bongs which is very unhealthy. All these laws succeed in doing is increasing the potential harms of cannabis while likely having absolutely zero impact of cannabis usage.

Pretty much everything I feel about this you have summed up for me DM. This is definitely a step in the wrong direction for WA, and I imagine it has been influenced by the Kronic/synthetic cannabinoids scandal.

 

[pisspotnrock]

I dont even wanna comment on this, for two reasons; It would take probably a couple of hours to write the whole post and I cant be fucked, and it would be filled with anger... Bring in the Labour goverment

 

[malakaix]

Pretty much everything I feel about this you have summed up for me DM. This is definitely a step in the wrong direction for WA, and I imagine it has been influenced by the Kronic/synthetic cannabinoids scandal.

Yeah i wouldn't be surprised, the night before Kronic was to become illegal here in WA.. a group had organized via facebook for users of the synthetic cannabis to 'light up' one last time at a venue; police ended up closing down the entire venue for that night.. on virtually no legal grounds. Although i dont smoke anymore, i feel sympathy for those who may have to actually do jail-time for something that use to be a small fine, incredible.

 

[spacejunk]

the banning of "smoking implements" (whatever the hell that means anyway) is such an obvious move away from harm-minimisation principles.
as australia was once a world leader in harm reduction policies, this is very disappointing.

so the kids will be going back to smoking from cans and plastic bottles, inhaling any number of toxic fumes? and just as the western world is moving away from the criminalisation of this substance.
just goes to show that the mining company stooges that run this state are completely out of touch. the "war on drugs" is just a war on a section of the community for cheap political mileage. they'd rather divide and stigmatise us for our preferences than show any concern for the community.
pot smokers aren't dangerous criminals - pot isn't a dangerous drug. it is a remarkable plant that grows freely upon our planet. the repressed, prejudiced individuals that govern western australia need to open their eyes and open their minds.
this is the only way barney could see a way to make money off of cannabis - fucker needs to use his imagination, for the good of everyone in wa.
liberal governments serve to only keep us in the dark ages. who the fuck votes for the swine?!

edit - i shouldn't imply that it is only the mining companies that pull the government's strings:
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/barnett-defends-extravagant-drug-company-gifts-20110525-1f3bl.html
- shady...

 

[puckboy]

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said he welcomed "any law reforms that will help combat the scourge of this insidious criminal industry in WA".

Great, Karl supports legalisation.

 

[headdah]

dont smoke weed my self, but i feel the pain for all the weed smokers over tehre in WA.

this is fucked up!

 

[Busty St Clare]

Good thing they can't ban oil pourers

 

[poledriver]

Tough new cannabis laws as usage soars

The Police Minister Rob Johnson has blamed the previous state Labor government for Western Australia being the nation's cannabis capital.

A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows one in seven people in the state had used the drug in the past 12 months.

From next week, anyone in WA caught with more than 10 grams of cannabis will face two years jail or a $2,000 fine.

Mr Johnson told the ABC that the tough new penalties are needed because the Labor party failed to act on the high use of the drug.

"Jim McGinty in 2007, acknowledged a report that had been handed down which said that and he committed to toughening up the laws," he said.

"Well, he never got round to it, we came into government and we made a commitment that we would toughen up the laws."

The deputy-director of the National Drug Research Institute Simon Lenton says the tougher penalties are unlikely to change people's habits.

"Our evidence has shown when we spoke to regular cannabis users and people who've been apprehended by the law that the law has very little impact on their use," he said.

"Most people who smoke cannabis think that the law is wrong and they are unaffected even when they get a criminal record."​

here

 

[pisspotnrock]

The Police Minister Rob Johnson has blamed the previous state Labor government for Western Australia being the nation's cannabis capital.

A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows one in seven people in the state had used the drug in the past 12 months.

From next week, anyone in WA caught with more than 10 grams of cannabis will face two years jail or a $2,000 fine.

Mr Johnson told the ABC that the tough new penalties are needed because the Labor party failed to act on the high use of the drug.

"Jim McGinty in 2007, acknowledged a report that had been handed down which said that and he committed to toughening up the laws," he said.

"Well, he never got round to it, we came into government and we made a commitment that we would toughen up the laws."

The deputy-director of the National Drug Research Institute Simon Lenton says the tougher penalties are unlikely to change people's habits.

"Our evidence has shown when we spoke to regular cannabis users and people who've been apprehended by the law that the law has very little impact on their use," he said.

"Most people who smoke cannabis think that the law is wrong and they are unaffected even when they get a criminal record."​

here

Hey Rob Johnson, GO FUCK YOURSELF YOU CUNT... kind regards, me.. (sorry people, it had to be said..)

 

[spacejunk]

fucking stupid divisive shit.
nothing to do with human beings, just political grandstanding from a bunch of corrupt mining industry religious dinosaurs who want to separate "their" people (rich, conservative, repressed) from the "riff-raff" and damaging people's lives in the meantime.
a cheap shot from a bunch of cowardly old has-beens who know that their time is nearly up.
i agree - rob johnson, colin barnett and their cronies are SCUM. ruining people's lives because they choose to consume a natural plant product. shame on you heartless fatcats.