Why is carrying or holding under 50g of marijuana not a criminal offence in the ACT?

Criminalising young people is 'ludicrous and cruel'
ABC (Australia)
Sunday, March 18, 2018

If you're caught with less than 50 grams of cannabis in Canberra, it's unlikely you'll end up with a criminal record. But just a few kilometres away in New South Wales, carrying the same amount of marijuana can mean a conviction or even jail time. The variation between drug laws in each jurisdiction is a complex issue. The ACT's scheme, called the Simple Cannabis Offence Notice (SCON), was first introduced in 1992 and amended in 2005 to exclude all hydroponically grown plants. It's part of a broader drug diversion strategy, which aims to move drug users away from the criminal justice system and into education and treatment programs.