EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1986 NO. 385
CUSTOMS (PROHIBITED IMPORTS) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
ISSUED BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INDUSTRY, TECHNOLOGY AND COMMERCE
Regulation 5 of the Customs Regulations provides, amongst other things, that the importation into Australia of drugs appearing in the Fourth Schedule of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations is prohibited unless certain conditions are satisfied, and the permission of the Secretary of the Department of Health is obtained.
At the recent 9th Special Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, decisions were taken to include a number of amphetamine-like substances in the Schedules to the Convention on Psychotropic substances.
In view of Australia’s obligations under the Convention, relating to international trade in narcotic and psycotropic substances, action is needed to institute controls on the importation and exportation of the prescribed substances.
The Regulation adds the 17 amphetamine type substances recently added to the Convention on Psycotropic Substances to the Fourth Schedule to the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations. The amendment effectively prohibits the importation into Australia of these drugs without the permission of the Secretary of the Department of Health.