Defending Drug Charges: Putting the Prosecution to Proof and Raising Available Defences
If you have been charged with a drug offence, it is vital to be aware that each of these offences contains several ‘essential elements’ (or ingredients) which the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt – the prosecution will fail if...
The Right to Party in Peace: NSW Heavy-Handed Drug Law Enforcement Is Unjustified
The NSW Police Force has spent $46 million dollars over the last decade in order to run its drug detection dog unit. This expenditure has led police officers to conduct 95,000 searches of civilians over the last ten years, with only...
Richard Branson Calls on NSW to Decriminalise Drugs, “For God’s Sake”
“For God’s sake, do something about it,” global entrepreneur Richard Branson told NSW premier Chris Minns, as he ended a video message sent to the constituencies of the ACT and this state, after having pointed out that our part of the...
NSW Premier Won’t Introduce Pill Testing, Despite Continuing Deaths and Calls From His Own Party
“Politics often presents the choice between the unpalatable and the disastrous,” said former NSW Labor premier Bob Carr, during a speech he gave to a 2022 Sydney drug law reform conference last year. Indeed, Carr’s alternates sum up exactly the...
Strip Searches: Minns Probes Whether Sexual Assault by the State Is Right for Kids
Redfern Legal Centre released figures on 17 October, outlining how many children - 10- to 17-year-olds - NSW police officers have strip searched over the 24 months to June this year, which revealed that 107 kids had been made to...
What is the Knowledge Requirement for Drug Importation in Australia?
The Australian Federal Police arrested a man at Melbourne International Airport last week, over allegations he attempted to import 6 kilograms of heroin concealed in his luggage. The 67-year old Canberra resident was returning from a trip to Manila, Thailand...
Minns Continues to Follow Coalition Playbook on Drug Law Reform: This Time Positively
The last few weeks had seen newly-minted NSW premier Chris Minns reverting back to the 2018-19 Liberal Nationals rhetoric on drug reform, which was the summer that saw five people die in drug-related circumstances at festivals, and spurred an inquiry into...
Predicted Drug Deaths Begin, as Minns Continues Coalition’s Harm Maximisation Policy
Last Friday, something ominous was in the air in NSW. The October long weekend was kicking in, at the beginning of a predicted long, hot climate-driven summer, and with pandemic restrictions far in the past, it was looking likely the...
The NSW Drug Summit: Where Other Labor Leaders Triumphed, Minns Fears to Tread
A key objective of the 2023 NSW Labor policy platform stated that “a top priority” for the party on election would be to hold a state drug summit, so the experts can “advise on a wide variety of policy challenges”. This would...
The Law, Defences and Penalties for Drug Premises Offences in New South Wales
Along with New South Wales drug offences against the unlawful use, possession and supply of prohibited drugs and plants (including heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and cannabis), there are also unique offences which apply to illicit drug premises. Here’s what landlords and...
