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Western Australia's Attorney-General, Jim McGinty, says he wants people caught with small amounts of cannabis to be forced to attend an education session about the drug.

In 2003, the WA Government introduced new laws allowing people caught with up to 30 grams of marijuana or two cannabis plants to avoid criminal penalties and instead pay a fine or attend an education session.

The State Opposition says the laws have failed to deter people from using the drug and has called on the Government to scrap them.

Mr McGinty says he will not consider introducing criminal penalties for the offences and wants more focus on education.

"At the moment, it's an option - you can either accept a fine or a suspension of your licence, or an education session," he said.

"I think we should be putting far more emphasis on educating young people as to the dangers of the drugs."

He says reinstating criminal penalties would be counterproductive.

"I don't see any public benefit of giving a young person, who is experimenting with cannabis and gets caught, a criminal record for the rest of their life to compromise their ability to get a job, their ability to travel," he said.

"I don't think that is a sensible way to go.

"What we must do is to make young people aware of the dangers of cannabis."

The state's cannabis laws will be reviewed this year.




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Source: ABC News Online
Contact: ABC Online
Copyright: 2007 ABC
Website: McGinty calls for compulsory cannabis education