Cannabis is illegal in all states and territories in Australia but the penalties for offences differ according to the jurisdiction. As the law can be changed quickly it is advisable to check with the law enforcement, legal or health authorities. Some discretion is conferred on police officers and magistrates in terms of charging offenders and in deciding punishment. For a first offence the response may be a caution, warning, a bond or a community service order. There are four main types of offences relating to cannabis.
Possession means having the drug in personal custody or control.
This includes drugs on a person, in their car, in their house or garden, unless they can prove that the drugs are not theirs. Cultivation includes planting, growing, tending and harvesting a prohibited plant. Watering one plant or harvesting one leaf is cultivation. It includes manufacturing a drug to be sold, or exchanging drugs for something else. A person doesn't have to have a large amount of a drug to be charged with trafficking.