Under the ACT Labor government’s amended proposal, hard drugs will remain illegal but be decriminalised — so small amounts will attract an infringement rather than a criminal penalty.
It’s like a speeding fine: speeding is an illegal activity, but you will generally only get a fine — not a criminal charge — if you are caught.
The proposed list of drugs runs from magic mushrooms and LSD, right up to those drugs associated with the worst social harms: heroin, cocaine and ice.
About time too.