Dangerous Drugs

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 178, 13 July 1927, Page 5

Dangerous Drugs

Bill Introduced in House. REGULATIONS DEFINED. PENALTIES FOR OFFENCES. (Special to “Tribune.”) Parliament Buildings, July 13. The Dangerous Drugs Bill was introduced yesterday by the Minister of Health, the Hon. J. A. Young. It deals with the importation, exportation, and traffic in dangerous drugs. Dealings in, and the use o#, prepared opium is prohibited and every person possessing it is table to ’a fine of £lOO. A fine of £2OO, together wth three months’ imprisonment, may be imposed on anyone permitting his premises to be used for opium-smoking and anyone possessing opium-smoking utensils is liable to a fine of £lOO. Every person who smokes, or otherwise uses, prepared opium, or is found without lawful excuse on any premises being used for the smoking of opium, is liable to a fine of £5O. No person shall produce, manufacture, sell, distribute, oi deal with any dangerous drug other than prepared opium except by license Justices of the Peace may issue warrants to search premises for dangerous drugs, but premises occupied by Chinese for opium-smoking may be searched without warrant. The illegal importation or export of dangerous drugs is punishable by a fine of £5OO and twelve months’ imprisonment. Persons found in possession of dangerous drugs, in contravention of the Act, are liable to a fine of £lOO, and illegal traffic in such drugs is punishable by a fine of £5OO and imprisonment for a year. It will be an offence punishable by a £lOO fine to aid or abet the commission of an offence against the law in a country where traffic in dangerous drugs is prohibited. The minimum fine in ahy case under the bill shall be one-fourth of the maximum fine which can be imposed for any offence. Chief officers of companies convicted of offences shall be liable to individual penalties. The schedule to the bil] contains the foilowing list of dangerous drugs: Raw opium, prepared opium, morphine. diacety. luorphine, cocaleaf, crude cocaine cocaine, ecgonine. Indian hemp, and preparations and extracts made from it; any preparation, including any so-called anti-opium remedies, containing more than onefifth part per centum of morphine or more than one-tenth part per centum of cocaine or ecgonine and any preparation containing diacety or luorphine.