A sentencing judge may make general comments about the harmful effects of drugs of dependence and the misery caused by the drug trade without contravening the Pidoto principle, provided the comments do not involve a comparison of the harmfulness of one drug with another or import the judge's own perception of the harm wrought by a particular drug. A non-parole period representing 78% of the head sentence for a first offender with mitigating factors is likely to be regarded as excessive. Where sentence is passed on multiple presentments at the same time, the preferred practice is to fix a single non-parole period referable to the total effective sentence, but fixing separate non-parole periods before a combined period does not necessarily constitute sentencing error.
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