Police target annual Mardi Grass festival in northern New South Wales, which aims to promote marijuana law reform. Police detected at least 86 people driving under the influence of drugs during the annual Nimbin Mardi Grass festival and cannabis law reform rally on the weekend. Concurrent police operations in the area around the NSW north coast event included drug detection dogs, a drug bus and high visibility policing, targeting attendees of the pro-marijuana festival.
Inspector Michael Dempsey from the Richmond Local Area Command told Guardian Australia the police run operations targeting the festival every year. Despite expectations of police attention, this year’s 86 detections were a significantly high number, he said. “It’s concerning having that many people under the influence of drugs driving in the one area – in any area,” Dempsey said. “We’d hope that people would not take any drugs and get behind the wheel of a vehicle.”
As well as the 86 drug detections among drivers, police also caught five drunk drivers, issued a “large” number of traffic infringement notices, charged 24 people with drug possession and five with drug supply. A number of other offence charges and cautions were also handed out amid more than 100 searches of individuals and vehicles. Police temporarily suspended the licenses of people detected to be driving under the influence and the test samples were sent to Sydney. Positive results will end in a court appearance for defendants.
