POT LAW CHANGE GATHERING PACE

Think cannabis, think rebellion and radicalism. Right?

Wrong. Calls for the reform of the green-leafed drug are no longer the
domain of minor political parties and students.

Now it lies smack on the mainstream agenda and is about to become the
subject of intense debate in Parliament.

Health Minister Annette King is in the process of setting up a review team
to reassess New Zealand's drug laws and recommend whether we should opt for
decriminalisation.

A majority of people surveyed in a One News poll last week indicated they
were in favour of relaxing the cannabis laws, and informal surveys of the
120 MPs show that many of the country's leading politicians, including Prime
Minister Helen Clark, have indicated their support for reform.

Helen Clark has said minor cannabis offences are a health issue, not
criminal, and she favours decriminalisation.

In international terms, however, New Zealand is no trend-setter. Some
Australian states made the move more than 10 years ago.

Their experience has provided New Zealand officials with a rich resource to
see what works and what does not.

South Australia has drawn the most attention and appears to be the scheme on
which New Zealand would base any future decriminalisation model.

But Ministry of Justice papers prepared for Justice Minister Phil Goff show
there are pitfalls.

South Australia introduced an instant fine system in 1987, giving people
caught for minor cannabis crimes the chance to pay a fine and avoid a
criminal conviction. Failure to pay within 30 days means the matter then
goes to court.

The ministry's papers, obtained under the Official Information Act, reveal
that only about 45 per cent of those who receive fines pay them, meaning
more than half of those caught with cannabis end up being convicted.

"It may be due to the financial hardship experienced by cannabis offenders,
particularly younger offenders and those who may have received multiple
[fines] over time," said a paper by the Deputy Secretary of Justice, Mandy
McDonald.

"There was also the finding that many of those who did not pay the fee were
not aware that a criminal conviction would likely result from non-payment."

The result is that convictions for cannabis offences remain unchanged.

However, in terms of cost-effectiveness, the scheme was a winner. In
1995-96, it cost $1.24 million to administer and reaped $1.68 million in
fines.

The South Australian fine scheme covers possession of no more than 100g of
cannabis or 20g of cannabis resin, smoking or consumption of cannabis in a
public place and possession of equipment associated with the drug.

The Australian Capital Territory has had a similar scheme which came into
effect in 1993, although the thresholds are lower.

Victoria and the Northern Territory also offer police and judges options.

A spokesman for Mrs King said the review team was likely to begin its work
this year.

Any changes could be expected within the next three years.