STUNT ADDS WEIGHT TO DRUG RISK

OPPOSITION Leader Colin Barnett's stunt in Parliament on Tuesday
successfully drew attention to a weak point in the Government's plans for
drug reform. The amount of cannabis a person is able to possess under the
proposed Cannabis Control Bill is too great.

Under the Bill, people growing two cannabis plants or possessing more than
30g of the drug for personal use will not be treated as criminals, but will
have to pay an on-the-spot fine of up to $200.

Mr Barnett illustrated a point that has been at issue since the Government
first announced its plans to decriminalise the personal use of cannabis:
that even 30g of the drug has the potential to be misused.

Concerns have also been expressed at the amount of cannabis which could be
harvested from each cannabis plant.

The Government continues to stress that it is not making the use of
cannabis legal. Health Minister Bob Kucera says he believes it preferable
that people not use the drug at all but he thinks those who do should not
have a criminal record. His aim, he says, is to crack down on drug dealers.

There is merit in the belief that valuable police and court resources
should not be expended in the pursuit and punishment of people who use the
drug on a recreational basis, and that those people should not carry the
lifelong stigma of a criminal record.

It can also be argued that the proposed Bill simply recognises the reality
of drug use in society. Cannabis use by otherwise law-abiding citizens has
an acceptance in some sections of the community, as shown by views
presented to last year's Community Drug Summit and the working party which
followed it.

But the ultimate intent of any legislation on the subject must be to
discourage the use of drugs and it is in this pursuit that the proposed
Bill is questionable.

It can be argued easily that any relaxation of the laws surrounding drug
use creates an atmosphere of tolerance, and that is in no one's best
interests. At worst, it ignores the potential dangers of the drug and bows
to those lobby groups that insist that it is harmless. There is
overwhelming evidence that prolonged cannabis use can be deleterious to
some people, and international studies have concluded that smoking
marijuana can cause psychotic disorders in people with no history of mental
illness.

The extent of the drug problem in WA is well known. The State is at the
top of a national tally of illegal drug use with a survey last year showing
that 17.5 per cent of West Australians aged 17 had smoked marijuana in the
previous 12 months.

The national average, according to the survey by the Australian Institute
of Health and Welfare, was 12.9 per cent.

Another survey, by Melbourne's Murdoch Children's Research Institute,
claims that a third of teenagers who smoke marijuana once a week will
become dependent on the drug by their early 20s.

The reports add weight to the view that the proposed legislation is sending
the wrong message to susceptible young people. It suggests that it is only
dealing in the drug which is wrong, and that using it is acceptable behaviour.

The Government's decision to proceed with the legislation, with its
inherent risks, is one which may, in time, return to haunt it.