NSW Attorney-General proposes $400 fines instead of court for drug possession
The pilot would give police the discretion to issue two $400 infringements, with those penalties waived if users undertook health interventions
Thursday, June 2, 2022
NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman has proposed a diversion scheme that would see people caught with drugs hit with a $400 fine instead of being taken to court. The proposal would implement one of the recommendations from the Special Commission of Inquiry into Ice, which released its final report in 2020. Mr Speakman said in March he was “disappointed” his government hadn’t done more to implement the findings of the inquiry, which had cost more than $10 million to produce. “Sadly illicit drug use is widespread in our community – for example statistics suggest that one in seven Australian men in their 20s have used cocaine in the last 12 months. The current approach is clearly not working.” (See also: NSW attorney-general urges drug law pivot)
