Calls for Overhaul of Drug Driving Laws
Roadside drug testing was introduced into the NSW setting in 2007. Just like random breath testing (RBT) for alcohol, drug testing drivers was said to be brought in to improve safety on the roads. But, unlike RBT, it doesn’t test...
Police Should Test for Impairment Levels of Drugs, Not Minute Traces
On the first weekend of this month, NSW police carried out a roadside alcohol and drug driving blitz in the Northern Rivers region. And while locals aren’t complaining about officers booking drunk drivers, they are opposed to those charged with...
NSW Greens Push to Legalise Recreational Cannabis
The NSW Greens are set to introduce a private member’s bill within 100 days post-state election that could see recreational cannabis legalised for adult use in NSW during the next parliamentary term, which is a move that an increasingly large...
Police Strip-Search 19-Year Old, Find Nothing but Kick Her Out of Festival Anyway
NSW police are continuing their war on music festivals, signified by exorbitant costs for user-pays policing, illegal strop-searches and the denial of entry to patrons even where no drugs are found after a search. This time, their alleged victim is...
Criminal Lawyer ‘Struck Off’ After Being Convicted of Drug Supply
Ugo Parente was employed by a criminal law firm in Liverpool shortly after being admitted as a New South Wales lawyer in 2006. He represented clients in a range of criminal cases and was a vocal anti-drug campaigner. He was...
‘Medicine Man’ Escapes Prison Time for Serious Drug Charges
Veteran medicinal cannabis producer Tony Bower escaped prison time when he was sentenced for commercial drug cultivation, along with other serious drug offences, at Port Macquarie District Court last Monday. Known locally as the Medicine Man, Mr Bower turned himself...
Towards a Regulated Drug Market: An Interview With Robert Richter QC
Human beings have been using psychoactive substances since prehistoric times. The use of opium, mushrooms, psychedelic cacti and alcohol has gone on for millennia. You might say that drug use has gone hand in hand with the progress of civilisation...
Shut It Down: Berejiklian’s Botched Festival Licensing Scheme
After months of warning the industry that a festival specific licensing regime will apply for all events statewide, the killjoy Berejiklian government announced a week before its implementation that the new regulations will now only apply to fourteen festivals. NSW...
Random Workplace Drug Testing: A Breach of Your Civil Liberties
Intoxication in the workplace is a significant safety issue. And for this reason, protocols are in place at certain worksites so that employees suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or other drugs can be tested. Increasingly though, random...
Frontline Festival Safety: An Interview With DanceWize NSW’s Jessie Murray
Over the last five months, safety at music festivals has been front and centre. There have been tragic deaths, increased hospitalisations, debates over pill testing, public rallies and an expert panel was convened to investigate the matter. However, all the...
