Pubdate: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 Source: West Australian (Australia) Copyright: 2002 West Australian Newspapers Limited Contact: http://www.thewest.com.au Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/495 Author: Wendy Pryer and Mark Mallabone Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) DRUG LAW CHOICE FOR POLICE: KUCERA POLICE would get the discretion to override proposed new cannabis laws and charge people who possessed or cultivated small but otherwise legal amounts of the drug, Health Minister Bob Kucera said yesterday. A task force appointed by Mr Kucera to advise on softer cannabis laws has found that a problem with South Australian cannabis law is the inability of police to use their discretion and charge people they believe are selling the drug when technically not breaking the law. "Police discretion should always override these issues in this State on anything to do with drugs," he said in debate in the Legislative Assembly on the new laws. The task force report was given to the Government just before Easter but it is understood its recommendations have yet to be considered by Cabinet. Mr Kucera has said the report would be made public once it has been to Cabinet. The Opposition attacked the Government over its cannabis reform plans yesterday. It said the changes amounted to decriminalisation of possession and cultivation and would result in more people using the drug. Debate got personal, with Labor MLA Mark McGowan responding to Liberal goading about whether he had used the drug - his answer was that he never had. Liberal leader Colin Barnett and Liberal police spokesman Matt Birney refused to answer when Mr McGowan asked if they had used the drug. In Canberra, an academic has called for police warnings to the public over rogue batches of party drugs as part of a national illicit drug testing program. Sydney's National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre information officer Paul Dillon said the contentious move was designed to provide good quality and potentially lifesaving information to recreational users. Under the program, drug users could get their drugs tested for impurities or toxins at official mobile drug testing units parked outside rave parties or nightclubs. Mr Dillon said similar programs had been running successfully in Europe. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh