Prison ‘not the answer to drugs’
“Prison does not necessarily get a man off drugs and in this case has failed to do so.” said counsel (Mr D. M. Palmer), for Mark Earland Thomas, aged 21. a fitter and turner, in the Magistrates Court yesterday.
Thomas, who pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawfully possessing the narcotic, morphine, was fined $3OO and put on probation for 18 months. Mr E. S. J. Crutchley, S.M.. also ordered the defendant to work and live where directed and not to associate with any persons nominated by the probation officer. It appeared that part of the defendant’s problem was his association with other drug users, the Magistrate said Mr Palmer said that the defendant accepted that he was in danger of going to prison because of his previous convictions for drug offences. However. he had already been to prison and this had not stopped his drug taking.
Before the morphine offence he had managed to reduce his dependency on dings, said Mr Palmer. He had stopped “mainlining'’ and had got down to only having to sniff at a particular narcotic. This point seemed to have been accepted by the probation officer in his re port. Mr Palmer said that it was of more importance that Thomas get off drugs than that the Court impose a prison term that would be a deterrent to others.
The defendant accepted that he had found it hard to give up drugs because of his associates However, he was prepared to leave Christchurch, said counsel His departure would of course be a disappointment to his emnloyer who thought highly of him and had been astonished to learn he had been on drugs The Magistrate said that It was the defendant’s third conviction for such a drug offence and the fine would therefore be high However, because Thomal- - reasonablv intelligent and had a good renort from hi« cmnlover he would be given a further chance.
; ! Ruqhy.—The tourine Wellinsten. Colles* Old Rov, senior IfHiehv (earn to. beaten 24-fi bv J Canberra Rojals in a match at (Canberra.
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Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34107, 20 March 1976, Page 16
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346Prison ‘not the answer to drugs’ Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34107, 20 March 1976, Page 16
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