The government of Western Australia today announced plans to enact legislation decriminalizing the possession and cultivation of marijuana for personal use.
“The government accepts the view … that small-time [marijuana] users should not carry the stigma of a criminal conviction,” Premiere Geoff Gallop (Labor Party) said. He explained that under the new law, to be implemented next year, “possession of small quantities of cannabis for personal use will … attract a fine but offenders will not receive a criminal record.”
In the interim, Gallop said that the government would adopt a statewide, non-criminal “cautioning” system for marijuana offenders found in possession of up to 25 grams of pot or two plants. Such a system had previously been in place only in Western Australia’s metropolitan areas.
In recent years, virtually all eight Australian states have adopted some version of decriminalization for minor marijuana offenses.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Publications Director, at (202) 483-5500.
