SA's Tasmania-style driving recommendation is still waiting for a government response
South Australia's Joint Committee on the Legalisation of Medicinal Cannabis tabled its interim report on 25 September 2024, making 13 recommendations.
Recommendation 1 is the one that matters for drivers: it calls on the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport to prepare draft amendments to the Road Traffic Act 1961 providing that it will not be an offence to drive with THC present in oral fluid or blood where the driver has been prescribed a medicinal cannabis product containing THC and is using it in accordance with the prescription — the Tasmanian model, explicitly cited by the committee. Part B of the recommendation asks the Minister to run community consultation on the proposed amendments.
Where it stands: as of our research date we have not identified a formal SA Government response adopting or rejecting Recommendation 1, and no amending bill has been identified before Parliament. A committee recommendation binds nobody — SA's strict presence offence (any detectable amount, expiation $875 and 3-month disqualification for a first offence as at 1 July 2025) continues to apply in full.
Why this one is worth watching: unlike advocacy campaigns, this is a cross-party parliamentary committee telling a minister to draft the amendment. With NSW's registration Bill before Parliament and Victoria's trial reporting, SA now has political cover on both flanks. The pressure point is the government response — we'll post the moment one lands.