Methylamphetamine can take your life in more ways than one

It is a sad reality these days where most of us either know someone or have a friend who knows someone who was a meth addict, and died as a result of taking meth or as a result of some type of accident, while under the influence of meth.

The McGowan Government, in its efforts to discourage people from dealing in Methylamphetamine, has passed new laws which increase the penalty for possessing a trafficable about of methylamphetamine (28 grams or more) to life imprisonment.

The Misuse of Drugs Amendment (Methylamphetamine Offences) Bill 2017 received Royal Assent on 21 August 2017 as Act no 3 of 2017. It is due to come into force 28 days after assent, being Monday 18 September 2017.

The new provisions also extend the jurisdiction of the District Court to deal with such offences. In addition, it provides for increased penalties for offences of conspiracy, incitement or being an accessory after the fact of an offence involving methylamphetamine.

To put the new law in some sort of real world context, possessing an amount of meth, a little less than the weight of a chocolate Freddo frog, could see an individual spend the rest of their life in prison.

So, if you do have a friend or loved one who is about to go out and purchase a couple of 8balls of meth, throw them a chocolate Freddo frog and ask them, is it really worth the risk?