Im so surprised this hasnt had any play on here or maybe it has and ive missed it.
http://www.ag.gov.au/agd/WWW/justic...005_-_Howard_Government_gets_tougher_on_drugs
Howard Government gets tougher on drugs
The Senate today passed a raft of new offences contained in the Law and Justice Legislation Amendment (Serious Drug Offences and Other Measures) Act 2005 to further crackdown on illicit drug trade, the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, said. These include:
Maximum life imprisonment for using children to traffic drugs
Criminals who exploit children to traffic drugs will now face up to life imprisonment under tough new laws passed by the Senate today, Senator Ellison said.
“This maximum penalty of life imprisonment for people who use children to traffic drugs sends the strongest possible message that it simply will not be tolerated by our community,” he said.
One of the most important obligations of any government is to prevent the abuse of children. The Australian Crime Commission’s 2003-04 Illicit Drug Data Report noted that detections of clandestine drug laboratories had continued to increase. Of particular concern, in Australia and internationally, police have increasingly found children present at clandestine laboratories with dangerous chemicals or traces of illicit drugs in their system. For example, in 2003 over 3000 children were found to be present during seizures of clandestine laboratories in the United States.
While all individuals exposed to clandestine laboratories are at risk of health side effects from the chemicals, children, who do not have the ability to protect themselves from the inherent dangers, are particularly vulnerable. Exposure to chemicals can result in serious and long lasting injury.
People who use children to traffic drugs will face a maximum penalty of life in prison, if they involve them in trafficking a marketable quantity of illicit drugs.
The new offences also target people who put children in danger through exposing them to the manufacture of illicit drugs as the volatile and toxic chemicals used in ‘backyard’ laboratories can pose significant health risks.
Maximum 25 years for offences involving chemicals used to manufacture illict drugs
Drug dealers and manufacturers will now face up to 25 years imprisonment for offences involving a commercial quantity of chemicals used to manufacture drugs under the new laws, Senator Ellison said.
These chemicals, known as ‘precursors’, are an essential component in the manufacture of illicit drugs including amphetamine type drugs such as speed and ecstasy. The growth in this trade is seen in a joint Australian Federal Police and Australian Customs Service operation in August this year which resulted in the arrest of four men and the seizure of approximately 400kgs of ephedrine, a pharmaceutical drug often used to make the drug speed.
The Australian Government has committed $5.4 million over five years from 2003-04 under the Tough on Drugs policy through the National Strategy for the Prevention of the Diversion of Precursor Chemicals (the National Strategy) to address the issue of the diversion of precursor chemicals into the manufacture of amphetamine–type stimulants and ecstasy in clandestine laboratories.
“These new ‘pre-trafficking’ offences will support the National Strategy by targeting people who deal in precursors with the intention of manufacturing illicit drugs, or with the intention of providing them to another person for that purpose,” he said.
“People will now face up to 25 years imprisonment for offences involving a commercial quantity of a precursor chemical.”
Maximum life imprisonment for manufacture of ‘synthetic drugs’
In addition, the maximum penalty for manufacturing a commercial quantity of ‘synthetic drugs’, such as amphetamines, has increased from 10 years imprisonment to life imprisonment, Senator Ellison said.
‘These drugs are often inappropriately referred to as ‘designer’ drugs however the only thing these drugs are designed to do is cause harm both to the individual and the community’, he said.
The Australian Federal Police are currently limited as to the type of drug offences in respect to which they can act. For example, the AFP can deal with imported drugs but can have difficulty if there is doubt whether drugs were imported or manufactured locally.
“These new federal offences will remove these restrictions by providing a much broader coverage of offences. The new offences will operate in conjunction with offences under State law ensuring there are no gaps between Federal and State laws that can be exploited by drug cartels.”
Media enquiries: Brad Burke (02) 6277 7260/(0417) 749 711
http://www.ag.gov.au/www/justiceministerHome.nsf
=====================================================
Ignoring the blatant attempts at media grabbing headlines of "using kids to traffic" i am greatly concerned that the maximum sentances of some drug distribution charges have been raised in some cases by 250% and so should you be.
I doubt anyone here will ever have to face these charges which is why this issue may have not recieved any play here but that facts are when the more serious charges are beefed up to this extent there is a knock on effect to the lesser charges of drug use and minor drug supply.
You may be wondering what you can do about it?... Well there is something you can do about it. At polling time support the parties that support harm minimization such as the Greens.
Become an advocate for the parties that value social liberties above removing our rights as human beings to do the things in life we choose to do that have no direct harmfull effect on our fellow person.
Stand up for your rights. Remember who to vote for on polling day.
http://www.ag.gov.au/agd/WWW/justic...005_-_Howard_Government_gets_tougher_on_drugs
Howard Government gets tougher on drugs
The Senate today passed a raft of new offences contained in the Law and Justice Legislation Amendment (Serious Drug Offences and Other Measures) Act 2005 to further crackdown on illicit drug trade, the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, said. These include:
Maximum life imprisonment for using children to traffic drugs
Criminals who exploit children to traffic drugs will now face up to life imprisonment under tough new laws passed by the Senate today, Senator Ellison said.
“This maximum penalty of life imprisonment for people who use children to traffic drugs sends the strongest possible message that it simply will not be tolerated by our community,” he said.
One of the most important obligations of any government is to prevent the abuse of children. The Australian Crime Commission’s 2003-04 Illicit Drug Data Report noted that detections of clandestine drug laboratories had continued to increase. Of particular concern, in Australia and internationally, police have increasingly found children present at clandestine laboratories with dangerous chemicals or traces of illicit drugs in their system. For example, in 2003 over 3000 children were found to be present during seizures of clandestine laboratories in the United States.
While all individuals exposed to clandestine laboratories are at risk of health side effects from the chemicals, children, who do not have the ability to protect themselves from the inherent dangers, are particularly vulnerable. Exposure to chemicals can result in serious and long lasting injury.
People who use children to traffic drugs will face a maximum penalty of life in prison, if they involve them in trafficking a marketable quantity of illicit drugs.
The new offences also target people who put children in danger through exposing them to the manufacture of illicit drugs as the volatile and toxic chemicals used in ‘backyard’ laboratories can pose significant health risks.
Maximum 25 years for offences involving chemicals used to manufacture illict drugs
Drug dealers and manufacturers will now face up to 25 years imprisonment for offences involving a commercial quantity of chemicals used to manufacture drugs under the new laws, Senator Ellison said.
These chemicals, known as ‘precursors’, are an essential component in the manufacture of illicit drugs including amphetamine type drugs such as speed and ecstasy. The growth in this trade is seen in a joint Australian Federal Police and Australian Customs Service operation in August this year which resulted in the arrest of four men and the seizure of approximately 400kgs of ephedrine, a pharmaceutical drug often used to make the drug speed.
The Australian Government has committed $5.4 million over five years from 2003-04 under the Tough on Drugs policy through the National Strategy for the Prevention of the Diversion of Precursor Chemicals (the National Strategy) to address the issue of the diversion of precursor chemicals into the manufacture of amphetamine–type stimulants and ecstasy in clandestine laboratories.
“These new ‘pre-trafficking’ offences will support the National Strategy by targeting people who deal in precursors with the intention of manufacturing illicit drugs, or with the intention of providing them to another person for that purpose,” he said.
“People will now face up to 25 years imprisonment for offences involving a commercial quantity of a precursor chemical.”
Maximum life imprisonment for manufacture of ‘synthetic drugs’
In addition, the maximum penalty for manufacturing a commercial quantity of ‘synthetic drugs’, such as amphetamines, has increased from 10 years imprisonment to life imprisonment, Senator Ellison said.
‘These drugs are often inappropriately referred to as ‘designer’ drugs however the only thing these drugs are designed to do is cause harm both to the individual and the community’, he said.
The Australian Federal Police are currently limited as to the type of drug offences in respect to which they can act. For example, the AFP can deal with imported drugs but can have difficulty if there is doubt whether drugs were imported or manufactured locally.
“These new federal offences will remove these restrictions by providing a much broader coverage of offences. The new offences will operate in conjunction with offences under State law ensuring there are no gaps between Federal and State laws that can be exploited by drug cartels.”
Media enquiries: Brad Burke (02) 6277 7260/(0417) 749 711
http://www.ag.gov.au/www/justiceministerHome.nsf
=====================================================
Ignoring the blatant attempts at media grabbing headlines of "using kids to traffic" i am greatly concerned that the maximum sentances of some drug distribution charges have been raised in some cases by 250% and so should you be.
I doubt anyone here will ever have to face these charges which is why this issue may have not recieved any play here but that facts are when the more serious charges are beefed up to this extent there is a knock on effect to the lesser charges of drug use and minor drug supply.
You may be wondering what you can do about it?... Well there is something you can do about it. At polling time support the parties that support harm minimization such as the Greens.
Become an advocate for the parties that value social liberties above removing our rights as human beings to do the things in life we choose to do that have no direct harmfull effect on our fellow person.
Stand up for your rights. Remember who to vote for on polling day.
especially considering these were the people who once rang me every Friday night to "see what I was up to" (read: lets get fucked up).8) 
