On September 1st in the Western Australian parliament, Legalise Cannabis WA MP Sophia Moermond asked a simple question – “How many Western Australians have been charged with cannabis-related crimes associated with quantities pertaining to personal use to trafficable offenses?”
Stephen Dawson of the Labor Party replied with advice from the Western Australia Police Force indicating the numbers from the start of 2021 to August 10th, here they are:
| wdt_ID | Offence Section | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6(1)(a) | 268 |
| 2 | 6(1)(b) | 6 |
| 3 | 6(1)(c) | 29 |
| 4 | 6(2) | 2,953 |
Here’s what each section refers to in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1981:
Section 6 – Offences concerned with prohibited drugs generally
- (1) A person commits a crime if the person —
- (a) with intent to sell or supply it to another, has in his or her possession a prohibited drug; or
- (b) manufactures or prepares a prohibited drug; or
- (c) sells or supplies, or offers to sell or supply, a prohibited drug to another person.
- (2) A person who has in his or her possession or uses a prohibited drug commits a simple offence.
In layman terms:
- 1(a) – You have enough of the drug that it’s unreasonable to think it’s solely for personal use
- 1(b) – You manufacture the drug itself or prepare to manufacture
- 1(c) – You have been caught selling
- 2 – You have an illicit substance in your possession
Here’s a breakdown showing the proportion of each section:
These figures aren’t too surprising themself, but it’s sad to see such a large portion of the war on cannabis is still focused on consumers, who are they really hurting?
You can see a copy of the Hansard report here.
