Subj: Australia: Radical Vote For Most Liberal Marijuana Laws



Pubdate: Mon, 02 Aug 1999



Source: Mercury, The (Australia)





RADICAL VOTE FOR MOST LIBERAL MARIJUANA LAWS



THE Tasmanian Government has been forced to distance itself from a

radical move by rank-and-file Labor party members to introduce to

Tasmania some of the most liberal drug laws in the world.



The ALP State Conference passed a motion on the weekend to legalise

all marijuana use, after earlier considering a call to legalise the

drug for medicinal purposes.



But Attorney General Peter Patmore yesterday dismissed the motion as

flawed and said he would oppose outright any move to legalise the drug

in this state.



He revealed the Government was considering further decriminalisation

of marijuana, following last year's introduction of a cautioning

system for first offenders caught with small amounts.



"There is recognition that we have to move away from treating personal

marijuana use as a criminal matter," he said.



But no country had introduced wholesale legalisation of the drug, as

proposed by delegates at the ALP conference.