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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 1167 asked in the Legislative Council on 14 December 2021 by Hon Sophia Moermond

Parliament: 41 Session: 1

SUBSTANCES — LEGALITY

1167. Hon SOPHIA MOERMOND to the Leader of the House representing the Premier:

My question concerns this government's policy on cannabis. I refer to the Western Australian government and the Western Australia Police Force's handbook titled Cannabis laws in Western Australia. The opening paragraph reads —

Because cannabis is harmful, it is against the law for people in Western Australia to cultivate, possess, use, sell or supply cannabis, or to possess pipes and other smoking implements containing detectable traces of cannabis.

The consensus from this government is that if it is harmful, therefore, it should be illegal—one follows the other, it seems.

(1) Will this government make alcohol illegal—after all, it is very harmful, more harmful than any other drug in society?

(2) Will this government make sugar-based soft drinks illegal? I am sure we are all aware of the harm they do and the amount of harm diabetes does in society.

(3) Will this government make all prescription opioid drugs illegal, as they kill more people than people who die on our roads every year?

Hon SUE ELLERY replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. It is not in my file but I know the answer. If the member wants to ask a question about the text in a Western Australia Police Force publication, she needs to direct that question to the Minister for Police.

(1)–(3) There are no plans that I am aware of to make any of those substances illegal.