Laws on illicit drugs lenient

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday August 6th, 2013

 By JUNIOR UKAHA

A MAGISTRATE says laws on illicit drugs are too lenient and he hopes the Government sees through its plan about reviewing them.

Lae district court Magistrate Sasa Inkung made the comments when sentencing a man to two years in prison for being in possession of marijuana.

Inkung said in other countries around the world, people got life imprisonment or death sentences if they were found in possession of dangerous drugs.

“In PNG, the law is not strict and people think they can play up,” he said.

“The government is thinking seriously about changing the law on drugs.”

People in possession of cannabis are sentenced to a maximum of three years in jail or a minimum of nine months with no bail.

Joe Michael, 23, from Chimbu, was caught trying to smuggle dried marijuana to Finschhafen. 

The court was told that he had 40 grams of marijuana neatly packed in his bag and was about to board a dingy at Voco Point in Lae when a police patrol unit caught him last Sunday.

He told the court he was trying to take the drugs to some friends in Finschhafen.

He said he was a student at the Fatima Technical College in Jiwaka and was trying to sell the drugs to pay his project fees.

Inkung advised him to change his ways after serving his jail term.