Mr. Miles questions the Minister for Police on efforts to combat synthetic drugs following the Misuse of Drugs Amendment (Psychoactive Substances) Act. The Minister details police actions, seizures, and charges laid since the legislation's enactment.

AnsweredQoN 540Legislative Assembly
Asked
23 August 2016
Portfolio
Police

QuestionView source ↗

MISUSE OF DRUGS AMENDMENT (PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES)
ACT
540. Mr P.T. MILES to the Minister for
Police:
Last year the Liberal–National
government closed a loophole to ensure that all psychoactive substances are
illegal. Can the minister please advise the house on Western Australia Police
efforts to rid the community of synthetic drugs?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for Wanneroo for
this question. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with some of the member's
constituents at a particularly notorious retail outlet in his electorate
earlier this year, and I share the community outrage that the operators of
these retail outlets sell psychoactive substances to vulnerable people in our
community. I am sure that members will recall that last November the Liberal–National
government enacted legislation to ban the sale, supply and manufacture of
psychoactive substances. I am pleased to inform the house that since this
legislation was proclaimed, since November, retail outlets in Rockingham,
Armadale, Victoria Park, Mandurah, Wanneroo and Highgate have been inspected, 4
573 items have been seized from these premises and as a result of these
targeted operations detectives have preferred 314 charges against 18 individuals.
Western Australians and the parents of our youth should feel reassured that
this government will take action as required to give police the legislative
tools that they need to shut down these places and stop the supply of
psychoactive substances into our communities. Police will continue to be
relentless with this crusade against the retail outlets that sell these
psychoactive substances. I thank members in this house for supporting the
legislation and its passage through this Parliament.

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