Report urges Govt monopoly for marijuana

Press, 4 July 1978, Page 8

Report urges Govt monopoly for marijuana

NZPA Adelaide South Australians may be I buying marijuana from i licensed Govenment outlets if a proposal outlined in a report of the state's Royal Commission on drugs is adopted. In a 132-page discussion paper, the Royal Com-' mmission into the non-medi-j cal use of drugs concluded) that the present total prohibition of cannabis should be modified. The commission, in its report released yesterday, favoured two of five options:

Partial prohibition, allowing people to grow and possess cannabis for personal use but not allowing people to see it; or,

Allowing cultivation of cannabis under supervision by a Government agency and sales through licensed outlets.

The commission suggested that under the second option, a cannabis control board would supervise quality prices, and balance between supply and demand. Advertising, sales to minors, and unlicensed cultivation and sales would be illegal. The commission suggested a government tax on cannabis sales, since it could be grown, processed, and marketed for only sAust2 to) sAust3 an ounce (30g) — about one-tenth of the present street price. The three-man Royal Com-: mission, headed by Professor!

iißonaid Sackville. of the Uni'yersity of New South Wales. :!did not choose between the 11 two options but invited pubsi lie comment on which was i[ preferable. I! The paper said that the i[commission based its conclusions on a wide-ranging 11 study of experience both in 'Australia and abroad and [scientific evidence on the efllfects of cannabis use and the advantages and dis' advantages of present laws. ; It said that present laws) against cannabis appeared to be ineffetcive, strained the resources of the police and courts, created disrespect for) the law, and made enforcement enormously expensive. The commission conceded that w r hile persistent cannabis use may cause brain damage, evidence was inconclusive and further extensive studies were needed. However, the commission j concluded that cannabis se-| riously affected skills such as driving, and said its ef-l fects were increased by other drugs, such as alcohol. | ! It pointed out that apart! from the two options out[lined for further consid-j leration and a total prohibi-i [tion, the state government! [could also consider: ) Prohibition, with a civil; [penalty, similar to the deer-1 i iminalisation legislation in-1 [troduced in a number of I states in America.

I Partial prohibition, where : all civil and criminal penal[ties for cultivating and possessing the drug for personal use would be removed i completely.