SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Harder ice penalties in Vic drug war

Smaller weights of ice will get dealers slapped with trafficking offences and synthetic drugs will be banned as part of Victoria's clamp down on drugs.

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Smaller weights of ice will get dealers slapped with trafficking offences and there will be a blanket ban on synthetic drugs under new Victorian laws set to be introduced.

In a bid to clamp down on synthetic drugs - often sold as 'legal highs' - new legislation will ban all substances claiming to have a psychoactive effect.

Currently the only way synthetic drugs become illicit in Victoria is to legally categorise each specific compound as they are discovered.

"Synthetic drugs are dangerous chemical cocktails that don't belong on the counter - we'll make it illegal to make them and sell them," Premier Daniel Andrews said on Wednesday.

Similar laws are already in place in NSW and WA.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

The government is also slashing the trafficable weights of methylamphetamine, commonly called ice.

Under the changes, a commercial trafficable quantity will be halved from 100g to 50g when pure, and 500g to 250g when cut with other substances.

A large commercial trafficable quantity will be dropped from 750g to 500g when pure and from one kilogram to 750g when mixed.

The legislation was introduced into parliament on Wednesday.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world