Thailand releases more than 3000 cannabis prisoners. Australia shrugs.

Thailand released more than 3000 prisoners this week and there wasn't one editorial in any of the major Australian publications that dared talk about it.

It isn't hard to be discouraged by the situation.

The AEC is still counting the legalise cannabis votes, and the media seems to have already lost their appetite for the very thing that swung the country to the left.

If we take just one example of how many people in Australia would be released, consider that in South Australia last year we gave out more than 5000 expiation notices (aka on the spot fines) for weed.

Now you'll need to imagine how many of those 5000+ people couldn't afford or forgot to pay their ridiculous fine for weed, and you have the number of people sitting in the lock-up rn for no actual reason.

I can't tell you how many people each year get locked up for non payment of fines, because that information simply isn't being made available.

I've asked.

@ABSStats - Hi, I'm wondering if you can tell me how I'd go about finding how many people are in gaol in Australia for #cannabis and/or a directly related offence, i.e not paying the subsequent expiation note / fine for possession, as one example..#ThankYou for your help.
— Marijuana (@marijuanacomau) February 17, 2022

I received no replies.

It's also not a new subject for discussion. This tweet below is from 2020.

Maybe instead of expiation being classified as #diversion, it should be called a #detour. The #cannabis patient still ends up in gaol, it just takes a little longer to do..
— Marijuana (@marijuanacomau) September 28, 2020

Seems such a massive opportunity to show the government listened to voters.

Here's hoping one of the states work it out.