Big Tobacco Will Pay for its Day in Court
Tobacco giant Philip Morris has been ordered to pay the Australian Government millions of dollars in legal costs, after its failed bid to kill off plain packaging. Australia’s plain packaging tobacco laws are some of the toughest in the world,...
Silencing Dissent: Myanmar Authorities Arrest Journalists
At around 3.30pm on June 26, a group of seven people were arrested by Myanmar authorities at a military checkpoint in the country’s conflict-ridden northern Shan state. Three local journalists were among the group who were detained in Namhsan township...
Police Arrest Patient For Possessing Medicinal Cannabis: An Interview with MCUA’s Deb Lynch
On June 19, Queensland police arrested Deb Lynch, secretary of the Medicinal Cannabis Users Association of Australia (MCUA), on charges of possessing a dangerous drug. Several officers were at her Cornubia residence on a different matter, when they noticed her...
Victoria Police May Get the Power to Search Without a Reason
Victoria police are pushing the Andrews government to expand police search powers at music festivals, so that officers are able to search patrons for drugs without having a reasonable suspicion to do so. Police claim the powers are necessary to...
Barriers to Medicinal Cannabis: An Interview with Medical Cannabis Advisory’s Grace Sands
Last week, a Greens motion passed through federal parliament that allows terminally ill patients faster access to cannabis medicines. These patients are now able to import up to three months’ supply of medical marijuana from regulated markets overseas. The disallowance motion...
Disabled Pensioners: the Government’s New Drug War Targets
The Turnbull government has hit a new low in its war against drugs. Legislation has just been tabled that proposes to deny the pension to hundreds of people who are currently deemed disabled due to their level of drug or...
Should Drug Addiction Lead to a Lesser Sentence?
According to a report published by the Australian Institute of Criminology, nearly half of 1,884 police detainees surveyed in nine data collection locations reported that their offending was related to drug or alcohol use. Most of those who reported the...
Terminally Ill Given Faster Access to Medical Cannabis
A Greens motion passed through the federal Senate on Tuesday that allows terminally ill patients faster access to medicinal cannabis. Under the new provisions, patients that have a prescription are able to import up to three months of the medicine from regulated...
Silk Road Creator’s Life Sentence Fails to Deter Online Drug Transactions
Ross Ulbricht, founder of the online drug marketplace Silk Road, had his life sentence confirmed by a US Federal appeals court on May 31. Mr Ulbricht, known online as Dread Pirate Roberts, created the site in 2011. In its heyday, Silk Road...
Ongoing Drug Supply: Factors Relevant to Sentencing
Under section 25A of the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (NSW), a person can be found guilty of supplying a prohibited drug on an ongoing basis if they supply, on three or more separate occasions during any period of...
