Historique
Article de Périodique
Laws applying to minor cannabis offences in Australia and their evaluation (1999)
Auteur(s) :
LENTON, S. ;
McDONALD, D. ;
ALI, R. ;
MOORE, T.
Année
1999
Page(s) :
299-303
Résumé :
Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in Australia. About 31% of Australians aged 14 years and over have ever used the drug while 18% have used it in the previous 12 months. During this same period, some 44% of males aged 20-29 years have used it (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 1999). However, while cannabis is not a harm free drug, many argue that the most probable public health risks of cannabis use itself are likely to be small to moderate because of the relatively small proportion of the population who are heavy users (Hall, 1995). In Australia, many recognise that the public health consequences of the application of the criminal law against cannabis users may be at least as significant as those of cannabis use itself (McDonald and Atkinson, 1995). As a consequence, a number of states and territories have adopted legislative and regulatory models incorporating either infringement notices or formal cautions for cannabis possession and use. More than 70% of the Australian public believe that civil, rather than criminal penalties, should apply to minor cannabis offences (Bowman and Sanson-Fisher, 1994 and Lenton and Ovenden, 1996). [Introduction]