Young people who dish out drugs to friends are 'drug traffickers', say police
Matt Johnston | September 25, 2009 12:00AM
A GROWING number of young people risk being sent to jail as drug couriers by sharing illegal substances with friends, police say.
Police warn they will not accept ignorance as an excuse and will punish young people who think they can "lend" drugs to others by charging them with trafficking.
Meanwhile, the number of people entering the state's drug diversion program -- which provides education and counselling to people caught with small amounts of drugs for the first time -- has skyrocketed since the program was established in 2000, the Herald Sun can reveal.
Police say this shows that officers accept the program as a good way to stop people reoffending.
Drug experts have also backed the program.
Insp Andy Jay, from Victoria Police's drug and alcohol strategy unit, said police were serious about drug offenders, and diversion programs helped reduce reoffending.
The reoffending rate from program participants is 30 per cent -- much lower than for people who pass through the courts or jail.
Those who do not complete the diversion programs are charged.
But Insp Jay warned that young people who dish out drugs to friends could not enter the programs because they were effectively drug couriers.
"Exchanging or saying to friends `try some of mine' . . . is actually drug trafficking," he said.
"We would like people to have the knowledge of the very serious legal issues they face."
In 2007 the Howard government introduced federal laws to reduce access to diversion programs.
From 2000 to 2001, when the program began, about 130 people went through diversion programs. This grew to 850 in 2007-08.
Australian Drug Foundation chief executive John Rogerson said the program helped young people seek help and avoid a potentially crippling jail experience.
"They get in and start getting support to deal with the issues," Mr Rogerson said.
President of People Against Lenient Sentencing, Steve Medcraft, said dumping young people in jails for low-level offences was not the way to go.
A bigger issue was the sale of drugs in nightclubs.
Mr Medcraft said police did not have the resources to tackle the issue adequately.
Victorian Police Minister Bob Cameron said the drug diversion program helped break the cycle of crime.
People caught trafficking large quantities of drugs face up to 25 years in jail, he said.
Herald Sun
Matt Johnston | September 25, 2009 12:00AM
A GROWING number of young people risk being sent to jail as drug couriers by sharing illegal substances with friends, police say.
Police warn they will not accept ignorance as an excuse and will punish young people who think they can "lend" drugs to others by charging them with trafficking.
Meanwhile, the number of people entering the state's drug diversion program -- which provides education and counselling to people caught with small amounts of drugs for the first time -- has skyrocketed since the program was established in 2000, the Herald Sun can reveal.
Police say this shows that officers accept the program as a good way to stop people reoffending.
Drug experts have also backed the program.
Insp Andy Jay, from Victoria Police's drug and alcohol strategy unit, said police were serious about drug offenders, and diversion programs helped reduce reoffending.
The reoffending rate from program participants is 30 per cent -- much lower than for people who pass through the courts or jail.
Those who do not complete the diversion programs are charged.
But Insp Jay warned that young people who dish out drugs to friends could not enter the programs because they were effectively drug couriers.
"Exchanging or saying to friends `try some of mine' . . . is actually drug trafficking," he said.
"We would like people to have the knowledge of the very serious legal issues they face."
In 2007 the Howard government introduced federal laws to reduce access to diversion programs.
From 2000 to 2001, when the program began, about 130 people went through diversion programs. This grew to 850 in 2007-08.
Australian Drug Foundation chief executive John Rogerson said the program helped young people seek help and avoid a potentially crippling jail experience.
"They get in and start getting support to deal with the issues," Mr Rogerson said.
President of People Against Lenient Sentencing, Steve Medcraft, said dumping young people in jails for low-level offences was not the way to go.
A bigger issue was the sale of drugs in nightclubs.
Mr Medcraft said police did not have the resources to tackle the issue adequately.
Victorian Police Minister Bob Cameron said the drug diversion program helped break the cycle of crime.
People caught trafficking large quantities of drugs face up to 25 years in jail, he said.
Herald Sun
