South Australia's 'counter-productive' cannabis crackdown likely to be defeated
Labor and upper house crossbenchers signal opposition to jail sentences for cannabis possession
Tuesday, July 3, 2018
The South Australian government’s plan to introduce jail sentences for people caught in possession of cannabis faces defeat in the state’s parliament after Labor and upper house crossbenchers signalled their opposition to the bill. On Monday the SA attorney general, Vickie Chapman, announced a new “war on drugs” in the state with the introduction of a bill to make cannabis a controlled substance on par with ecstasy and heroin. The bill would mean people caught in possession of marijuana could face a maximum jail term of two years. It would also include tougher penalties for members of outlaw motorcycle gangs. But Labor and the crossbench MPs in the state’s upper house have signalled that the bill is unlikely to make it through in its current form.
