This Supplementary Order Paper replaces clause 4 of the Psychoactive Substances (Increasing Penalty for Supply and Distribution) Amendment Bill, which amends section 70 of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013.

This addresses the issue of sentencing guidance for judges by recognising that in many cases a high penalty will not serve any useful purpose in terms of deterrence, rehabilitation, or reintegration. In many cases, the offender will be in need of mental health services that are hard to effectively access in custody, and in those cases a non-custodial sentence or home detention may be better. Accordingly, under this amendment, the court will be able to reserve very high sentences for those exceedingly rare cases where it may serve some useful purpose.

The deaths and harm caused by synthetic drugs are extremely disturbing to the public, and our legislation must reflect this level of concern.