Monitoring the South Australian Cannabis Expiation Notice Initiative

In 1987, a Labor government in South Australia made widespread changes to laws concerning possession and use of small amounts of cannabis. At the time of the introduction of the new legislation, because of not inconsiderable media and other attention being paid to law enforcement data on the controversial “on-the-spot” scheme, the government gave an undertaking that the new approach would be monitored and results published Despite problems with the lack of long-term survey data on patterns and trends of drug consumption in Australia, and the fact that only limited research resources were available, the Office of Crime Statistics undertook a study of the critical first nine months of the new procedures. Monitoring the new system provided Parliament and the public with the opportunity to assess operation of the new procedures and to gauge whether there had been consequences not anticipated when the legislative changes were made. Full results of the study are in Cannabis: The Expiation Notice Approach released in South Australia in September 1989 (Office of Crime Statistics 1989). This article reproduces parts of the report and provides an update on an attempt in 1990 by the South Australian Opposition party to repeal the scheme.