Drugs of Dependence Amendment Act 2002 (ACT)

Drugs of Dependence Amendment Act 2002

2002 No 12

Contents

Page

1. Name of Act  2

2. Commencement  2

3. Act amended  2

4. Section 58  2

5. Application for approval
   Section 68 (1)  3

6. Powers of chief health officer
   Section 69 (2)  4

7. New section 75A  4

8. Conversion of fines to penalty units  4

Schedule 1        Conversion of fines to penalty units  5

Drugs of Dependence Amendment Act 2002

2002 No 12

An Act to amend the Drugs of Dependence Act 1989

Notified under the Legislation Act 2001 on 23 May 2002

(see Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory enacts as follows:

1. Name of Act

   This Act is the Drugs of Dependence Amendment Act 2002.

2. Commencement

   This Act commences on the day after its notification day.

3. Act amended

   This Act amends the Drugs of Dependence Act 1989.

4. Section 58

   substitute

5. Prescribing drugs of dependence

6. A doctor must not prescribe a drug of dependence unless it is for the treatment of a person’s mental or physical condition.

   Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units, imprisonment for 1 year or both.

7. Subsection (1) does not apply to the prescription of methadone or buprenorphine in accordance with section 59.

8. A doctor must not, without the chief health officer’s approval, prescribe a drug of dependence for the treatment of a person if the doctor believes, on reasonable grounds, the person is—

   (a)a drug dependent person in relation to any drug of dependence or prohibited substance; or

   (b)a person who has used a drug of dependence continuously for longer than 2 months, or for periods that, taken together, are longer than 2 months.

   Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units, imprisonment for 1 year or both.

9. Despite subsection (3) (a), a doctor may prescribe a drug of dependence for a drug dependent person without the chief health officer’s approval if—

   (a)the doctor is satisfied that the person needs the drug in a course of treatment as an in-patient in a hospital; and

   (b)the prescription is to be for the use of the drug for a period of not longer than 14 days after the day of the person’s admission as an in-patient.

10. A doctor must not prescribe an amphetamine without the chief health officer’s approval.

    Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units, imprisonment for 1 year or both.

11. However, a doctor may, without the chief health officer’s approval, prescribe an amphetamine to a person if—

    (a)the doctor believes on reasonable grounds that the person is not a person mentioned in subsection (3) (a) or (b); and

    (b)the doctor believes on reasonable grounds that the person is suffering from narcolepsy or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; and

    (c)the prescription is for the use of the amphetamine for a period no longer than 2 months.

12. Application for approval
    Section 68 (1)

    omit

    under this division shall

    substitute

    to prescribe a drug of dependence under division 6.2 (Prescriptions) must—

13. Powers of chief health officer
    Section 69 (2)

    omit everything before paragraph (a)

    substitute

14. If an application is made to the chief health officer for an approval for section 58 (3)—

15. New section 75A

    insert

75AValidation of chief health officer’s approvals

1. An approval by the chief health officer for a doctor to prescribe a drug of dependence given before the commencement of this section is not invalid only because of a failure to comply with this division.

2. This section expires on the day it commences.

   NoteThe repeal or expiry of a law does not end any validating effect that it may have.  See Legislation Act 2001, s 82 (def of repeal) and s 88.

3. Conversion of fines to penalty units

   The Act is further amended as set out in schedule 1.

Schedule 1Conversion of fines to penalty units

(see s 8)

column 1 item	column 2 section	column 3 penalty ($) omit	column 4 penalty (penalty units) substitute
1	8 (2)	$2 000	20 penalty units
2	9 (2)	$2 000	20 penalty units
3	12	$2 000	20 penalty units
4	15	$10 000	100 penalty units
5	16 (2)	$10 000	100 penalty units
6	17	$2 000	20 penalty units
7	22 (2)	$2 000	20 penalty units
8	23 (1)	$2 000	20 penalty units
9	23 (2)	$2 000	20 penalty units
10	26	$2 000	20 penalty units
11	29	$10 000	100 penalty units
12	30	$2 000	20 penalty units
13	35 (2)	$2 000	20 penalty units
14	40	$2 000	20 penalty units
15	45 (2)	$1 000	10 penalty units
16	46 (1)	$2 000	20 penalty units
17	51	$1 000	10 penalty units
18	53	$10 000	100 penalty units
19	54	$5 000	50 penalty units
20	55 (1)	$5 000	50 penalty units
21	55 (2)	$5 000	50 penalty units
22	57	$2 000	20 penalty units
23	60 (2)	$2 000	20 penalty units
24	61	$2 000	20 penalty units
25	62	$2 000	20 penalty units
26	63 (2)	$2 000	20 penalty units
27	64	$2 000	20 penalty units
28	77	$2 000	20 penalty units
29	78	$2 000	20 penalty units
30	79	$2 000	20 penalty units
31	80	$2 000	20 penalty units
32	81	$2 000	20 penalty units
33	82	$2 000	20 penalty units
34	83	$5 000	50 penalty units
35	84 (2)	$2 000	20 penalty units
36	91	$1 000	10 penalty units
37	92	$1 000	10 penalty units
38	94	$1 000	10 penalty units
39	96	$2 000	20 penalty units
40	97	$2 000	20 penalty units
41	98	$2 000	20 penalty units
42	99	$2 000	20 penalty units
43	100	$2 000	20 penalty units
44	101 (1)	$5 000	50 penalty units
45	102	$1 000	10 penalty units
46	103	$2 000	20 penalty units
47	104	$1 000	10 penalty units
48	105	$1 000	10 penalty units
49	106	$2 000	20 penalty units
50	107	$2 000	20 penalty units
51	108	$1 000	10 penalty units
52	109 (1)	$2 000	20 penalty units
53	109 (2)	$2 000	20 penalty units
54	109 (3)	$2 000	20 penalty units
55	111 (1)	$10 000	100 penalty units
56	111 (2)	$10 000	100 penalty units
57	111 (4)	$10 000	100 penalty units
58	112 (1)	$5 000	50 penalty units
59	112 (3)	$5 000	50 penalty units
60	113	$5 000	50 penalty units
61	114 (1)	$5 000	50 penalty units
62	114 (2)	$5 000	50 penalty units
63	115	$5 000	50 penalty units
64	116 (1)	$2 000	20 penalty units
65	116 (2)	$2 000	20 penalty units
66	117	$2 000	20 penalty units
67	118	$2 000	20 penalty units
68	119	$2 000	20 penalty units
69	120 (1)	$2 000	20 penalty units
70	159	$2 000	20 penalty units
71	161 (1)	$20 000	200 penalty units
72	161 (2)	$20 000	200 penalty units
73	162 (2)	$100	1 penalty unit
74	162 (2)	$5 000	50 penalty units
75	162 (3)	$20 000	200 penalty units
76	162 (3)	$100 000	1 000 penalty units
77	162 (3)	$10 000	100 penalty units
78	162 (3)	$5 000	50 penalty units
79	163 (1)	$20 000	200 penalty units
80	163 (2)	$20 000	200 penalty units
81	164 (2)	$100 000	1 000 penalty units
82	164 (2)	$10 000	100 penalty units
83	164 (3)	$100 000	1 000 penalty units
84	164 (3)	$10 000	100 penalty units
85	165 (1)	$200 000	2 000 penalty units
86	165 (1)	$10 000	100 penalty units
87	165 (1)	$5 000	50 penalty units
88	166 (1)	$5 000	50 penalty units
89	167	$5 000	50 penalty units
90	168	$5 000	50 penalty units
91	169	$5 000	50 penalty units
92	171 (1)	$100	1 penalty unit
93	171 (1)	$5 000	50 penalty units
94	171 (2)	$5 000	50 penalty units
95	171 (3)	$5 000	50 penalty units
96	175 (4)	$100	1 penalty unit
97	176 (4)	$100	1 penalty unit
98	177	$10 000	100 penalty units
99	181	$1 000	10 penalty units
100	201 (2)	$5 000	50 penalty units

Endnotes

Republications of amended laws

1. For the latest republication of amended laws, see units

   1. The Legislation Act 2001, s 133 (Penalty units) deals with the meaning of offence penalties that are expressed in penalty units.

   [Presentation speech made in Assembly on 7 March 2002]

   I certify that the above is a true copy of the Drugs of Dependence Amendment Bill 2002 which was passed by the Legislative Assembly on 14 May 2002.

   Clerk of the Legislative Assembly

   © Australian Capital Territory 2002