Arrest, Court and Social Impacts of Conviction for a Minor Cannabis Offense under Strict Prohibition

Abstract

As part of an evaluation of the social impacts of the South Australian cannabis expiation notice (CEN) system, 68 West Australians who received their first criminal conviction for a minor cannabis offense participated in a quantitative and qualitative interview study to examine the impact of the conviction on their lives. Respondents saw themselves as largely law abiding, had respect for the law in general, and held positive views regarding cannabis. The conviction had little impact on subsequent cannabis use; however, a significant minority reported further problems with the law and problems with employment, accommodation, relationships and travel opportunities. This paper primarily reports on the descriptive quantitative and qualitative data from the study. The findings have implications for the legislative options for regulation of cannabis possession and use.