FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 1992
TWO ANTI-DRUG RULES EFFECTIVE TODAY
TWO ANTI-DRUG BILLS PASSED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY CAME INTO EFFECT TODAY (FRIDAY).
THEY ARE THE DANGEROUS DRUGS (AMENDMENT) (NO. 2) ORDINANCE 1992 AND THE ACETYLATING SUBSTANCES (CONTROL) (AMENDMENT) ORDINANCE 1992.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE NARCOTICS DIVISION OF GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT SAID AMENDMENTS TO THE ORDINANCES WERE MADE AS A RESULT OF AN APPEAL COURT RULING LAST YEAR THAT CERTAIN PRESUMPTIONS IN THE DANGEROUS DRUGS ORDINANCE HAD BEEN REPEALED BY THE BILL OF RIGHTS ORDINANCE.
"THE OPPORTUNITY HAS ALSO BEEN TAKEN TO UPDATE CERTAIN PROVISIONS TO MAINTAIN AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF DETERRENT, HE SAID.
AMENDMENTS TO THE DANGEROUS DRUGS ORDINANCE INCLUDE:
* REMOVING THE SEPARATE OFFENCE OF POSSESSION OF DANGEROUS DRUGS FOR THE PURPOSES OF UNLAWFUL TRAFFICKING AND INCLUDING THIS OFFENCE AS A TRAFFICKING OFFENCE;
* INCREASING THE MAXIMUM PENALTIES FOR POSSESSION OFFENCES ON INDICTMENT TO SEVEN YEARS' IMPRISONMENT AND A FINE OF $1 MILLION;
* INCREASING THE MAXIMUM FINE FOR POSSESSION OFFENCES ON SUMMARY CONVICTION TO $100,000, WHILE RETAINING THE MAXIMUM TERM OF IMPRISONMENT AT THREE YEARS; AND
* AMENDING AND REPEALING INCOMPATIBLE PRESUMPTIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PRESCRIBED MINIMUM AMOUNTS OF DRUGS FOR THE PURPOSE OF UNLAWFUL TRAFFICKING WERE REPEALED, AND THE SCOPE OF THE PRESUMPTION CONCERNING POSSESSION OF DANGEROUS DRUGS WAS RESTRICTED,
PRESUMPTION
THE ACETYLATING SUBSTANCES (CONTROL) (AMENDMENT) ORDINANCE 1992 HAS MADE SIMILAR AMENDMENTS TO RESTRICT THE SCOPE OF THE CONCERNING POSSESSION OF ACETYLATING SUBSTANCES.
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