Canberrans can now grow and smoke cannabis, though some questions remain unanswered
The local police force is in a bind, because it serves two masters — the Commonwealth and the ACT — each of which is giving different orders
Friday, January 31, 2020
Canberrans can now grow dope, keep a small amount of the drug at home and smoke it without fear of committing a criminal offence … kind of. Friday marked the first day that the ACT's controversial new cannabis legislation is in effect. The laws have been widely described as the first in Australia to legalise the personal use of marijuana. Yet that's not quite what the ACT legislation does: it simply removes criminal and financial penalties for possessing and using small amounts of the drug. The Federal Government has made it clear that it opposes this shift and has threatened to use the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to enforce its own criminal laws against Canberrans who choose to light up. (See also: Legal cannabis a good step, but drug war hangover remains)
