ACT deputy opposition leader Jeremy Hanson will sponsor a petition to stop the decriminalisation of small amounts of illicit drugs in Canberra.

The petition opposes a Bill which would see people in the ACT able to carry “personal possessions” of drugs including up to two grams of cocaine, ice and heroin, up to 0.5 gm of ecstasy, or up to 0.002 gm of LSD.

The Bill also proposes the introduction of a “simple drug offence notice” (SDON), where those caught with drugs would be fined and referred to a medical professional, rather than face the justice system.

Mr Hanson has vocally opposed the legislation since it was first introduced to the Legislative Assembly by Labor MLA Michael Pettersson.

“The harm these drugs can cause can hardly be overstated,” said Mr Hanson said in an online letter asking Canberrans to support the petition.

“I am very concerned that decriminalising hard drugs like heroin and meth will increase drug supply and usage, increase crime, increase addiction, increase road trauma and stretch already overloaded treatment services.”

It comes following a government inquiry into the Bill which last month expressed support for the legislation, despite Mr Hanson saying a committee found that drug treatment services are already overstretched and inadequately resourced and staffed.

Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith has expressed support for the Bill, saying that harm reduction will be “front and centre” of the change.

“We know from research and evidence around the world that criminalising drug users does not reduce drug use and that treating drug addiction as a health issue improves outcomes for everyone in the community,” said Ms Stephen-Smith.

She also said a survey conducted last year found that only one in 10 people in Canberra supported imprisonment for drug possession offences.

But others have been more critical of the Bill, including Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw.

“I don’t think there’s ever a safe level when it comes to those particular drugs,” he said.

“It’s a causal factor of domestic violence. Also, you’re talking about a lot of traffic accidents where, sadly, people lose their lives. You’ll find that there’s a drug involved now more and more in some of the states.”

The ACT Law Society has also criticised the Bill, saying it will have “minimal effect on driving drug users from the criminal justice system”.