From 30 April 1987, a legislative change allowed the expiation of certain cannabis offences.

In 2023, the ACIC conservatively estimated that there were approximately 200,000 illicit firearms, comprising 190,000 long arms and 10,000 handguns, in the domestic illicit market. 16 Board of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission | Chair Annual Report 2023–24 Table 3.1: Key substances in the Australian illicit drug market 2023–24 Substance Market characteristics Cannabis Serious and organised crime (SOC) groups are well established in the Australian cannabis market, although they do not dominate it.

During 2007 - 08 Operation Mantle has continued to target illicit drug use and trafficking, with over 3000 cannabis plants, 260 007 grams of dried cannabis and around $270 000 cash seized.

At the moment, we have expiation notices obviously for cannabis, for shop theft and for traffic.

SAPOL seized weapons including firearms, knuckle dusters and knives, as well as a variety of illicit drugs including fantasy, cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, cannabis and steroids.

This included the establishment of two Select Committees (Artificial Intelligence and Endometriosis) and one Joint Committee (Adelaide University) in addition to the Select Committee (Access to Urinary Tract Infection Treatment) and Joint Committee (Legalisation of Medicinal Cannabis) that were carrying over their inquiries from the previous reporting period. 2 This increased activity was reflected in a two and four fold increase in the number of meetings and total meeting time respectively and a five fold increase in the number of witnesses appearing before Committees compared to the activity of Select, Joint and Sessional Committees in the previous reporting period.

The Australian Illicit Drug Report 2001 – 2002 indicates that the potency of Australia’s cannabis (derived from marijuana), and amphetamine–type stimulants has increased in recent years.7 The Committee was told that in people with a pre-existing vulnerability, amphetamine use and long-term heavy marijuana use may both trigger drug induced psychosis, involving symptoms similar to those seen in paranoid schizophrenia.

It was further recommended that the Parliament give consideration to the establishment of a joint parliamentary committee to inquire into and report on the potential benefits and issues that may arise from legalisation of the recreational use of cannabis in South Australia.

This work significantly developed understanding of the national markets for methylamphetamine, drug analogues and novel psychoactive substances, performance and image enhancing drugs, illicit pharmaceuticals and cannabis.

There are some vexatious issues about whether or not cannabis use increases crash risk. … So far as the commercial transport industry is concerned, there is clear evidence of the use of stimulants and amphetamines. … the use of those sorts of drugs in the commercial transport industry is still at a worryingly high level.’