SNOS Targets Steroids

The Safe Night Out Legislation Amendment Bill 2014 was passed recently by the Queensland State Parliament and it upgrades steroids to a dangerous drug alongside the likes of heroin and cocaine.

Steroids have been implicated in the increase of unprovoked violent behaviour towards others and the so-called “coward-punch epidemic”, which consists of random assaults on individuals, usually a sharp blow or punch to the head. Experts believe that the use of steroids may increase this tendency towards violence, particularly if combined with alcohol.

The Bill amends the Drugs Misuse Act 1986 and Drugs Misuse Regulation 1987 to increase penalties for offences involving Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids
(“AAS”, commonly referred to as steroids) similar to those applying to other dangerous drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, which are classed as Schedule 1 Drugs.

Steroid-type drugs like danazol and stanozolol used to be listed as part of Schedule 2, along with cannabis, methadone and morphine.
AAS are synthetic variants of the male sex hormone Testosterone, and have muscle-building and masculinising properties. They can either be derived from natural sources or synthetically manufactured.

AAS are used in the treatment of diseases that reduce lean muscle mass, such as cancer, but are also used to enhance image within the fitness Industry as well as sports performance overall. Steroids are commonly used by young men who frequent gyms in order to assist muscle development and enhance their body image.

Side effects may include extreme mood swings, mania, depression, paranoia, delusions, and organ damage, in particular cardiovascular damage.
An American Study has linked the use of steroids to violent behaviour, and it is well established that alcohol fuels violence. A study at Deakin University investigated the combination of alcohol and energy drinks and found that this combination further increased violence towards others.

As a result, the Director of the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research is calling for mandatory blood tests after assaults, in the belief that steroid and alcohol use have links to the recent wave of sucker punch cases. However, more research is necessary in order to determine the precise effects of alcohol in combination with steroids.

Police are also targeting steroids in a series of raids on the Gold Coast as part of Taskforce Maxima: The Anti-bikie squad is investigating the alleged illegal sale of steroids by criminal motorcycle gangs.

The changes to the law to be introduced by the Safe Night Out Legislation Amendment Bill are to commence at a date yet to be determined and will have the effect of increasing the maximum penalty that can be imposed on offenders. Trafficking, production, or possession can carry up to 25 years imprisonment, whilst supply to a minor under 16 can result in a life sentence – see the table below.

Moreover, charges will increasingly be dealt with through the District or Supreme Court rather than the Magistrates Court.

The amendments to the Drugs Misuse Act and Drugs Misuse Regulation also include a significant change as to how the quantity of steroid drugs is determined. The amendments provide that the whole weight of the dangerous drug is to be considered rather than the weight of the actual drug component. This means that persons will be charged according to the total weight of the drug and any other substance with which it is mixed, or in which it is contained, even if the other substance is not by itself an illegal drug. The amendments do not affect how the weight of other illegal drugs is determined, which is calculated by reference to the weight of the actual drug component and does not include any other substance which it may be mixed with.