Dr. Walker questions the Minister for Police regarding the frequency and cost of alcohol and cannabis-related incidents attended by WA Police, referencing Canadian studies suggesting cannabis is safer than alcohol. The Minister responds that the data is not recorded in a way that allows for a specific answer.

AnsweredQoN 215Legislative Council
Asked
15 March 2023
Portfolio
Police

QuestionView source ↗

ALCOHOL–CANNABIS
— CRIME
215. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the minister representing the
Minister for Police:
I refer the minister to two studies undertaken recently in
Canada, the first concluding that cannabis is 114 times safer than alcohol and
the second noting that easier access to cannabis results in lower alcohol
sales.
(1) How many
incidents involving alcohol are Western Australia Police Force officers called
upon to attend on average each week?
(2) On
average, how many cannabis-related incidents would they be likely to attend
over the same period?
(3) What
dollar figure, if any, can the minister put on alcohol and cannabis-related
crime respectively as a percentage of WAPOL's annual budget?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the
question. The following answer has been provided to me by the Minister for
Police.
(1)–(3) The Western Australia Police Force advises
that a response to these questions cannot be provided, as alcohol and
cannabis-related incidents are not individual categories recorded in the police
dispatch system.

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