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New South Wales police have charged six people in the Great Lakes area on the state's mid-north coast with a range of drug offences after seizing drugs worth $120,000. Officers raided homes in Forster, Tuncurry and Nabiac and seized amphetamines valued at $85,000, cannabis valued at $35,000 and $35,000 in cash. Two men and two women are expected to appear in court later today, while another two men have been granted bail and will appear in court in June. In a separate seizure, police found more than one kilogram of cannabis in a backpack after stopping a motorist at Lake Haven on the central coast last night. A 30-year-old man was charged and will appear in court …

Some cannabis-using teenagers are highly likely to develop mental health problems as adults because of their genetic make-up, but most face little risk, a new study says. The problems occur for genetically vulnerable adults who used cannabis while their brains were still developing, and that has prompted researchers to recommend people "delay onset of use until at least young adulthood". The finding comes from Otago University's world-renowned study which has followed 1000 Dunedin-born people for over 30 years. It says a link between cannabis and mental illness depends on a specific genetic disposition. But even then, only 15 per cent of the people with the gene …

Recent drug-smuggling arrests in Bali have made people more vigilant but will not discourage travellers, according to Travelscene Orange manager Robert Thornberry. Mr Thornberry recently returned from his annual holiday to Bali and said he noticed more people ensuring their luggage had not been tampered with. "I would say 90 per cent of bags going around the carousel at the airport had a lock on them. I know Melbourne and Brisbane airports have machines that can plastic wrap your bags and a lot of people seem to be using them," he said. The case of Australian Schapelle Corby, accused of smuggling cannabis into Bali, the trial has come down to proving whether or no…

FITZGERALD Inquiry figure and former SP bookmaker Stanley Derwent Saunders yesterday faced court for possessing marijuana. Saunders claimed he used it to treat ongoing stress from his association with the late Jack Herbert, the infamous licensing branch bagman. The 83-year-old Gold Coast pensioner was "one of the last men standing" from the days when Queensland's police force was "the best money could buy", his solicitor Bill Potts told the Southport Magistrate's Court. Saunders pleaded guilty to three drug-related charges, including possession of a dangerous drug and possession of utensils, namely a water pipe and grinder. Police raided his Surfers Paradise add…

The first status report on new Western Australian drug laws has revealed more cannabis users are being charged or issued with infringements than previously. Under the the WA Cannabis Infringement Scheme, police can choose to either issue a fine or charge people caught with small amounts of the drug. Michael Salter from the Drug and Alcohol Office says fewer people in WA are using cannabis, but of those who are, a higher percentage are facing the consequences. "There's a high degree of compliance with the legislation and that legislation is effective, in that, if an individual is caught with cannabis, there will be a consequence." Spokesman for the WA Coalition Aga…

A NORTH Albury woman who rode a motor bike into the Albury police station foyer was yesterday put on a two-year bond with a condition she attend alcohol rehabilitation. Magistrate Mr Tony Murray said when imposing the bond on Debra Louise Embury that her actions were a classic case of how to get arrested for drink-driving. Mr Murray said he had previously had a person appear before him who was intoxicated and stopped at a random breath testing location because he thought they had takeaway food. But it was the first time he has had someone appear in court for riding a motor bike into a police station. Mr Murray said it was obvious Embury had an alcohol problem. E…

South Australian police from Operation Avatar (anti-bike squad) have arrested and charged a 44 year old man from Tea Tree Gully with numerous offences and seized about 5,000 ‘Red Mitsubishi tablets following a police raid yesterday. Members from Operation Avatar and Dog Operations Unit attended a Tea Tree Gully house yesterday morning where the police drug dog allegedly locating approximately 5,000 ‘Red Mitsubishi’ tablets and a large quantity of amphetamine, hidden in various areas of the house. Police also seized other items including firearms, $11,000.00 cash, and a large quantity of allegedly stolen property. Detective Inspector Graham Goodwin Officer in Charge of Ope…

Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in Australia, but the rise in ecstasy and amphetamine use is more concerning, a new report shows. The Illicit Drugs Report, prepared and released by the Australian Crime Commission (ACC), found more than 11 tonnes of illicit drugs had been seized and 79,000 people arrested during the last financial year. "Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia," the report revealed. And with more than 40,000 arrests during the last financial year and no evidence in a reduction in consumption, it was likely to remain a popular drug into the forseeable future, it said. But ACC chief Alastair Milroy said despite m…

STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Sgt. Jason Kearney hopes all his arrests will be this easy. As Kearney was sitting in his marked patrol car Thursday, waiting for his colleagues to join him for lunch, a man named Ron Stone asked him for a ride. The Bulloch County deputy agreed to take Stone to his car, but first he insisted on searching Stone for weapons, said Sheriff Lynn Anderson. "Stone told Sergeant Kearney to go ahead," Anderson said. Kearney didn't find a gun — but he said he did find two small bags of pot. Stone, 30, told the uniformed officer he had spent the night at a friend's house and the marijuana was not his, police said. Instead of a ride to his car, Ston…

Q: There's a lot of information online about the effects of alcohol and driving, but not much about marijuana. Is there a certain amount of marijuana that can be smoked where it would have virtually no measurable effect on one's ability to drive? Is there a certain amount of time that could elapse between smoking marijuana and getting behind the wheel where one would not be impaired? A: Research has shown that marijuana can have some effect on one's driving performance. More specifically, research has shown that people intoxicated with marijuana may show some sway when driving in a straight line. However, at the same time, research has shown that people high on marijua…

Dutch Ministers clash over coffeeshops and weed. It is well known that the Dutch Justice Minister, Piet Hein Donner, does not like coffeeshops and softdrugs users, he wants to get rid of them all. That is why he visited the southern province of Limburg yesterday, so he could personally deliver his disapproval of the plans of two of his rebellious town mayors, Mayor Leers of Maastricht and Mayor Som van Kerk of Heerlen, all CDA politicians. These Mayors want to see the production of cannabis for coffeeshops regulated and legalized, they consider the War on Drugs a waste of time, funds and effort. Donner went to Limburg to declare a full war on cannabis growers and drugs …