PEOPLE who grow or possess small amounts of cannabis for personal use will
not be treated as criminals under new laws proposed by the State Government.

Instead, recreational users caught with two plants will be fined $200.
Users with less than 30g of the drug will be fined up to $150.

The new laws stop short of full decriminalisation, with police retaining
the discretion to charge people they believe are flouting the law.

Health Minister Bob Kucera yesterday outlined the Gallop Government's plans
to reform cannabis laws in line with recommendations from last year's
Community Drug Summit.

Cabinet has agreed to all but one of the recommendations of the working
party on drug law reform.

Opposition Leader Colin Barnett said the Government was sending a message
to children that it was acceptable to grow and use cannabis.

"Geoff Gallop is saying a little bit of cannabis is OK," he said. "It is
not OK. If he proceeds down this path, this will be the defining issue on
which we will fight the next election."

Mr Kucera denied the accusations, saying new laws would stop the situation
where young people caught experimenting ended up with a criminal record.

"Often for the sake of one moment of stupidity they can wreck their entire
lives," he said. "So we have got to have, as a Government and a community,
the capacity to have some compassion in terms of those people."

Criminal Lawyers Association president John Prior, who helped design laws
which remove cannabis from the Misuse of Drugs Act, said fines would be
harsher under the new regime.

Minor cannabis offenders who went before the courts were fined as little as
$50, he said.

"Some magistrates view possession of cannabis more harshly than others," he
said. "This system will at least make sure penalties are in line with each
other."

Under proposed legislation, to be introduced into Parliament before the end
of the year, people caught with small amounts of cannabis will have the
option to attend drug education in lieu of a fine.

Possessing less than 15g of cannabis will attract a fine of $100. Amounts
between 15g and 30g will result in a $150 fine. Growing two plants will
attract a $200 penalty.

But Cabinet has insisted police charge anyone caught growing plants
hydroponically - the only change made to the working party's recommendations.

Juveniles are not covered by the laws.

The Government plans to take a tougher line on dealers - lowering the
number of plants a person can grow from 25 to 10 before they are
automatically considered a dealer.