TOUGHER CANNABIS PENALTIES IN TAS UNWARRANTED, MP SAYS

A federal Labor MP has rejected calls for tougher state drug use laws,
saying Tasmania does not need a zero-tolerance approach.

In a newspaper article today, the Federal Health Minister's
parliamentary secretary, Chris Pyne, has suggested that a national
mental health overhaul be linked to stronger cannabis laws.

But federal Member for Denison Duncan Kerr says Tasmania is a safe and
stable place to live and higher cannabis penalties are
unwarranted.

"We need to send out proper warnings about health, we need to make
sure that we develop policy responses that are not going to be
regarded by young people as exaggerated or hysterical," he said.

"But we also don't want to have lots of people facing jail sentences
or criminal convictions."