QLD Son with Autism Caught with Cannabis by Police - Jail Time?

[maribel]

My 19-year-old son has been caught with about 8gms of cannabis and utensils. He has a notice to appear in 3 weeks. He was supposed to go to the police station that next day for an interview. It was very informal and the police stated that because he was so compliant and polite they decided not to do the interview but they still had to issue him with the notice.

He suffers from autism and has been caught with utensils before and had to do a police order drug diversion.

Will he go to jail? And what do I need to do to prevent this?

 

[Sarah J]

Hi Maribel,

Was there a medical reason why he may be attracted to the drugs? Perhaps get a doctor/psychologist's opinion on the matter.

It is hard to say what sentence he will likely receive, or whether he will even get imprisonment. Being caught with utensils is slightly more serious than simple possession.

There is another thread on here that talks about drug charges and sentencing. It involves drug trafficking, but gives you some idea on how complicated sentencing drug offences can be: Drugs - Father Charged With Trafficking - LawAnswers.com.au. This blog article may also help you: Drug Laws in NSW - Blogs - LawAnswers.com.au. Neither the thread and article are specific to QLD, however, drug laws tend to be quite similar across Australia so it the links should still be helpful.