South Australia wants to recriminalize cannabis

South Australia, the first Australian state to decriminalize the possession and use of cannabis in 1987, is now undergoing a reversal. Justice Minister Vickie Chapman, a member of the Liberal Party who has held the position since March 2018, has introduced a bill to recriminalize the use and possession of cannabis.

Current fines are capped at 500$ AUD, but they could very well quadruple to 2000$ AUD, with the added consequence of the reintroduction of prison sentences. The bill aims to classify cannabis in the same category as ecstasy or heroin.

The minister based her decision on a news story from 2012: Liam Humbles, a 17-year-old teenager, had murdered Lewis McPherson, another teenager one year his senior, on New Year’s Eve in Adelaide, using a firearm. Liam Humbles had tested positive for alcohol, ecstasy, and cannabis.

South Australia Goes Against the Grain

The medical use of cannabis was legalized in Australia in 2016 and The Green Party had proposed legalizing recreational use cannabis legalization nationwide in April of this year. This progressive trend now appears to be in jeopardy in South Australia. The proposal has also drawn criticism from civil society and political circles.

Alex Wodak of the Foundation for Drug Policy Reform condemns this senseless decision: «Most people who smoke cannabis will just hide away in a corner and fall asleep, or they’ll eat some ice cream (…) they’re not going to kill anyone.».

Tim Mellor, a representative of the South Australian Law Society, accuses the proposal of ignoring the health and socioeconomic aspects of addiction issues.

The Introduction of the Bill in Parliament

The bill has not received unanimous support in the state legislature. The Labor Party, as well as independent lawmakers, known as the crossbenchers, have expressed their opposition. Ultimately, it is unlikely that the bill will pass—at least not in its current form.

The opposition’s Minister of Justice, Kyam Maher, announced that his party would be willing to partially support the bill but that he was opposed to prison sentences for simple possession, which he considers excessive: «Sending a young person to prison for a silly mistake is not an approach we support.».

The leader of the South Australian Greens, Mark Parnell, announced that his party will oppose the proposal: «It is a rash and counterproductive measure.» He calls for addressing drug abuse through the healthcare system rather than the criminal justice system.

Frank Pangallo of the SA Best party supports steeper fines for cannabis possession but believes that prison sentences are excessive.

The Liberal Party government holds a majority of just one vote in the upper house of Parliament (the Legislative Council). If the three remaining parties (the Labor Party, the Greens, and SA Best) oppose the bill, as appears to be the case, it will not pass.