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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Australia: Cannabis Laws Will Not Lift Use, Says Researcher
Mark Mallabone, Kate Gauntlett, Andrew Gregory and Ben Harvey West Australian
Wednesday 29 May 2002 CLAIMS by the anti-drug lobby that WA's new cannabis laws would increase use and spur social problems were wrong, a Curtin University academic said yesterday. National Drug Research Institute senior research fellow Simon Lenton said studies showed that prohibition with civil penalties for minor cannabis offences did not result in increased use of cannabis. Criminal penalties were no better at deterring use than civil penalties such as fines. Mr Lenton, who was on WA's cannabis reform working party, helped review South Australia's laws. He said some groups opposing the legislation could be focusing on anecdotal stories rather than scientific research. "People need to look at carefully controlled research that has been published internationally, rather than where research has been ignored, distorted or misquoted," he said. The Australian Family Association and the Coalition Against Drugs have warned that the WA Government is sending a message to children that drug use is acceptable. Wendy Herbert, spokeswoman for the Coalition Against Drugs, claimed people could embark on a life-long program of cannabis cultivation if they were prepared to occasionally pay up to a $200 fine or attend an education session. The WA scheme will be monitored continually and reviewed regularly. The National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund has given the National Drug Research Institute money to evaluate the scheme's impact. For more information visit www.wa.gov.au/drugwestaus/
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