Drugs and alcohol

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Prohibited drugs

Cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines, meth, cocaine, and LSD are all prohibited drugs. There are many others.

In WA, it is an offence to:

• possess
• use
• manufacture (make)
• cultivate (grow)
• sell or

• supply or share,

  a prohibited drug, even if it is a really small quantity.

You can be charged with supplying prohibited drugs just for sharing them with your friends, or even holding on to them to give back to someone else later.

You can go to prison for drug offences. A criminal record for drug offences can make it hard for you to get a job or travel.

If you are 18 or over and you are convicted of selling or supplying a drug to a person who is under 18, the magistrate or judge must sentence you to a term of imprisonment. They have no choice. This is called mandatory sentencing.  

Alcohol

In WA, it is an offence to:

• buy alcohol (or try to buy it) if you are under 18
• have alcohol with you in a public place (like parks, beach or on the street) if you are under 18
• drink alcohol in a public place, at any age
• send your friend to get alcohol, if you know they are not 18 or older, or
• use a fake ID or give a false age to try and buy alcohol.

You can be fined up to $2,000 if you are convicted of one of those offences.

If you give alcohol to someone under 18 and do not supervise their drinking (even in a private setting), you are committing an offence and could be fined up to $10,000.