A bill to decriminalize small amounts of hard drugs will be introduced in the Australian Capital Territory next year. Labor MLA Michael Pettersson unveiled a draft private member’s bill on Monday and said he will bring the bill to the ACT Legislative Assembly in 2021. Mr. Pettersson wants people caught with a small amount of heroin, cocaine, MDMA, crystal meth, or similar drugs to face a fine instead of a criminal conviction. ‘Drug use is a public health problem. It’s time to treat it like one. We know that the “just say no” approach doesn’t work,’ he wrote on Facebook. Labor MLA Michael Pettersson will introduce a bill to decriminalize small amounts of hard drugs like heroin, cocaine, and MDMA to the ACT Legislative Assembly in 2021 Mr. Pettersson unveiled the draft private member’s bill on Monday and said decriminalizing drug possession was ‘a sensible step forward’ Residents who are caught with a small amount of the drugs will be hit with a fine rather than a court order and potential criminal conviction if the bill becomes law.
Isabelle Stackpool, Daily Mail, 12/13/2020 23:18:12