Drug sentencing ‘too light’

Press, 8 March 1984, Page 6

Drug sentencing ‘too light’

PA Hamilton Sentences for drugs offences are often little more than u a slap on the hand with a wet bus ticket,” according to the member of Parliament for Hauraki, Mr G. E. Lee. Mr Lee told the Whitianga Lions Club that he'was concerned about the levels of fines and imprisonment for drug offences. It concerned him that the police put in “a very considerable amount of work” to bring offenders before courts, only to find minimal sentences given with the deterrent “seemingly lost entirely.” He believed judges either did not totally understand

the drug scene or there were problems interpreting the categorisation of offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1975.

The High Court and District Court between them had only 10 prosecutions for cultivation of drugs in Coromandel in 1982. The High Court had eight in 1981 and 21 in 1980. {

He compared this with the more than 300 plantations of cannabis destroyed by the police in Coromandel recently. “One could conservatively say that there are 100 to 150 cultivators responsible,” Mr Lee said.

Two had been to court,

and were fined $2OO and $5OO, which he termed “reasonable,” though a single plant could be worth $5OO. “The horrendous fact is that most of those cultivators will not appear before the court and, going from past records, many will want to try to reoffend,” Mr Lee said.

He called for community help for the police and more deterrent sentences from the courts. Mr Lee also said that the Ministers of Police and Defence, Messrs Couch and Thomson, had reassured him of their future practical support for work to eliminate cannabis from Coromandel.

Mr Couch told him that costs “would never be an impediment to the carrying through of this important work.’’ Mr Thomson assured him of the continuing availability of the Air Force and its co-operation with the police.