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NEWS: The Age - 12/10/2005 'Trafficking charges threat for clubbers'

hoptis

Bluelight Crew
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Interesting news item that popped up early this week, thank god for Bob Brown and some clear admissions by the Government senator that he has no idea about the context of drug use by young people today.

Trafficking charges threat for clubbers
October 12, 2005 - 5:04PM

People caught with party drugs in their youth could end up with a serious criminal record under government plans debated in parliament today, the Australian Greens say.

Government senator Ian Macdonald conceded the laws would reverse the burden of proof and force a person found with a trafficable quantity of drugs to show they were not intending to traffic them.

Greens senator Bob Brown says he is worried the legislation will lump an otherwise law-abiding citizen with a criminal record if they are caught taking party drugs.

"One of the things we have to be very clear about is the experience of ... young people who get caught up with the use of drugs for a period of time and end up being marked as serious criminals as a result of misadventure," he told parliament.

"This legislation may catch somebody ... with an amount that's specified here and be charged as a trafficker and have to reverse the onus of proof."

Senator Brown said he is also concerned the laws are being debated by parliamentarians with little or no knowledge of drugs and drug use.

"The minister says he hasn't seen an ecstasy tablet, nor have I.

"That's got one level of concern here because our ignorance has to be overcome with information coming from the community and through advisers to make sure that, in our ignorance, we don't make mistakes with legislation like this," he said.

"I'm told by a caller (to my office) that the fact is that this law can catch somebody with five ecstasy tablets."

Senator Macdonald admitted he had little knowledge of party drugs.

"I don't know and my officials don't know what eight ecstasy tablets might weigh and I'm told that there are different sorts of ecstasy tablets and different strengths," he said.

But he thought it was a silly and serious thing to cart around eight ecstasy tablets to parties.

"You raise the issue of someone innocently going to a party with eight ecstasy pills," he said.

"It would seem to me as an ordinary citizen, and perhaps old fashioned, but that would seem to me a pretty silly thing to do and quite a serious thing to do.

"But then I'm not into that scene. I don't quite understand it."

He admitted there was a reversal of the burden of proof in relation to substantial quantities of drugs.

"In these very serious and, I might say quite obvious, provisions there is a reversal of the presumption of proof. It is rebuttable."

Labor earlier tried, but failed, to amend the Law and Justice Legislation Amendment (Serious Drug Offences and Other Measures) Bill 2005 to incorporate a review of the laws.

The bill, which passed the Senate today, will extend punishment for traffickers who use children to buy and sell drugs and bring in new penalties associated with the making of party drugs.

- AAP

From The Age
 
Found that article quite interesting - this new legislation could cause alot of trouble with spot searches and stuff... I could imagine the poor kid getting done with a crim record for buyin a 5pk for him and his mates... thats ghey...

But as above said, it's good to see the greens making a stand
 
Government senator Ian Macdonald conceded the laws would reverse the burden of proof and force a person found with a trafficable quantity of drugs to show they were not intending to traffic them.
WHAT THE F***?! Are they kidding? Please tell me they're kidding. They MUST be kidding. It's against the whole constitutional principle FFS!
 
What I find most offensive is the quote by Bob Brown that the majority of ministers arguing over these laws have ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE WITH DRUGS, or the whole rave scene, god not even the youth party scene in general.

You wouldnt let a mechanic be your dentist, so why the hell are these sort of people making laws about drugs?
 
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