Drugs Misuse Act Of 1986 Analysis

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Good morning Ladies & Gentlemen,

Our justice system is failing our society, and our communities, in the way in which it deals with Drug crime in the state of Queensland.

When evaluating this wide-ranging and complex societal issue it is imperative to first analyse the current laws in place in Queensland with regards to drug offences;

Current laws are set forth in the ‘Drugs Misuse Act of 1986’. Within this act, part 2 identifies the 3 primary offences with relation to dangerous drugs, those being;

• Trafficking in dangerous drugs
• Supplying dangerous drugs
• Being in possession of dangerous drugs

The offences which I shall be analysing today is both the supply and trafficking of a dangerous drug.

According to subclause 1 of Part 2 …show more content…
A prime example of this occurred earlier this year in the case of one Kael William Maslin.
Maslin was a 23-year-old Brisbane man who was found selling and distributing in excess of 800 ecstasy pills as well as serving as a courier for cocaine. Despite the severity of Maslin’s offences, he was sentenced to just three years with immediate parole, essentially meaning that this man has the opportunity to end up serving no time in prison as a result of his actions.

Would any reasonable person think that verdicts such as these are in any way deterring young people from becoming involved in the admittedly lucrative business of drug distribution? Aside from the factor of deterrence of future offenders, it is, on the most basic moral level, a complete miscarriage of justice that this man should walk free following his actions. Any human being who was prepared and willing to risk detrimentally affecting the lives of hundreds of other individuals, is someone who should be punished with the full force of the …show more content…
To take the example of Mr. Maslin, those 800 ecstasy pills, delivered to the community, could have had a far greater affect than he, or any other drug distributor may ever realise.

Perhaps even more so than the outcome itself, it was the rationale of the Judge in reaching his verdict which is most bewildering.

Justice John Byrne, the judge presiding over Mr. Maslin’s case, directly stated that Ecstasy “harms, and occasionally kills” and that courts must deliver verdicts accordingly. Before proceeding to grant Kael Maslin a miniscule sentence, with immediate parole. Citing that he was young, pled guilty and vowed to give up drugs.

This reasoning is simply Ludicrous, illogical and irrational given the severity and nature of the offence.

For a moment, I’d request you put yourself in the shoes of a father, a father whose daughter overdoses on one of Mr. Maslin’s ecstasy pills whilst out partying with her friends, whose daughter he will never get to see again because of a split-second, peer pressured decision that cost her life, a fatal decision, directly facilitated by drug distributors such as Kael Maslin.

From this perspective, does immediate parole seem like a just outcome?
No, it does
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