After passing in the House of Assembly, the Bill to remove criminal sanctions for possessing under 7 grams of cannabis passed in the Senate today [Dec 13] with support from all sides.

The Bill — officially titled the Misuse of Drugs [Decriminalisation of Cannabis] Amendment Act 2017 — states, ”This Bill amends the Misuse of Drugs Act 1972 to remove criminal sanctions for the possession by any person of cannabis that does not exceed the specified statutory amount.

“Clause 2 amends section 6 of the principal Act to decriminalise the possession of cannabis lower than the statutory amount where criminal sanctions will not apply, and makes savings provision for prosecution for intent to supply.

“Clause 3 inserts a new section 25A empowering the police to seize cannabis in the possession of any person and also provides for drug education or drug treatment.

“Clause 4 inserts a new Schedule 8 that specifies the amount of cannabis below which criminal sanctions will not apply.”

The Misuse of Drugs [Decriminalisation of Cannabis] Amendment Act 2017 follows below [PDF here]

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