Source: West Australian, The (Australia) Contact: FAX: +61 8 94823830 Pubdate: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 Page: 30 Author: Charlene Wilson-Clark MARIJUANA USERS SENT TO DRUG EDUCATION CLASSES THREE marijuana users will attend a drug education session instead of court this month because of a trial cautioning system being used in the Mirrabooka policing district. Sept Fred Zagami said the system started on October 1 and aimed to reduce the frequency of first-time offenders going before the courts. The first warning was handed out on October 7 to a 49-year-old man at his Westminster home. Supt Zagami said the man had 14g of cannabis. The other two warnings were issued on October 12 in separate incidents. A 19-year-old man was caught with O.4g in a Maylands food outlet and a 21-year-old woman was found with 1.4g at her Embleton house. Lawyers had claimed the trial, which is also running in the Bunbury police district, would be a nightmare for WA courts because people outside the two districts could get a conviction for a criminal offence while others caught in a different suburb walked away free. The three offenders caught so far were bound to attend a drug education session in Toad Hill, Balga, Perth, Morley or Bunbury within two weeks of their caution being served. Supt. Zagami said the sessions concentrated on the harmful effects of taking cannabis and other drugs. The State Government planned to assess the trial after a year and introduce laws for the whole of WA if the system was deemed worthy. The criteria for being issued with a caution included being an adult, that there be no other offence involved and that the person be caught carrying less than 50g. The Mirrabooka police district stretches from North Beach to North Perth, Bayswater and Maylands. - --- Checked-by: Don Beck