CANNABIS LAWS WILL RUIN ME: RETAILER

GRANT MAHY is threatening to quit work in the retail hydroponics industry
because of cannabis law reforms that he says target legitimate retailers.

Mr Mahy is lobbying against the Cannabis Control Bill - which was passed
through the Legislative Assembly about four weeks ago - after noting
provisions to prosecute retailers who sell goods that they "resonably ought
to know" could be used to grow cannabis. The Bill has still to be approved
by the Legislative Council.

The proposed penalty is a fine of up to $20,000 and/or five years jail.

"If this becomes law we will have the most draconian working conditions of
any industry in the world," Mr Mahy said.

"I'm not going to leave myself open to be charged criminally when I'm not a
criminal.

"It is so ambiguous - how are we meant to know when someone buys hydroponic
supplies that the goods will be used to grow cannabis?" he said.

Section 7A of the Bill says: "A person who sells or supplies, or offers to
sell or supply, to another, any thing that the person knows, or reasonably
ought to know, will be used to cultivate a prohibited plant ... by
hydroponic means commits an indictable offence."

The hydroponics industry is forming a lobby group to push for removal of
that section.

Mr Mahy queried whether he should reasonably know that a young male
customer with long hair and tattoos would use growing equipment to
cultivate cannabis.

"What about the yuppie in the BMW who seems to have too much money. Is he a
cannabis cultivator or a dentist growing vegetables?" he said.

There were already conspiracy laws to deal with retailers engaged in
illegal activities, Mr Mahy said. He suggested the Bill might be aimed at
pre-empting the South Australian experience where decriminalisation of
own-use cannabis coincided with rapid growth in hydroponics.

The situation was different in WA where decriminalisation of two plants for
own use did not include hydroponically grown cannabis, he said.