Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill (No 3)

I rise to speak in this Committee of the whole House debate on Part 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill (No 3) to explain the effects of Supplementary Order Paper 377 and the tabled amendments in my name. Firstly, the bill was originally intended to extend the powers of customs officers under section 36 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 to all precursor substances. However, the bill as drafted did not accurately reflect that intention. Section 36 of the Misuse of Drugs Act makes certain powers under the Customs and Excise Act 1996 applicable when dealing with controlled drugs. Those powers enable customs officers who are investigating drug importation offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act to question persons, undertake searches, and obtain documentation, using their Customs and Excise Act powers. The amendment to section 36 of the Misuse of Drugs Act was intended to extend that application of Customs and Excise Act powers to investigations under the new importation offences involving precursor substances. The bill as written, however, confined those powers to pseudoephedrine and ephedrine—

Debate interrupted.

Sitting suspended from midnight to 9 a.m. (Thursday)