Victoria's quantity-based sentencing regime for drug offences does not permit sentencing judges to elevate the gravity of offending by reference to the harmful nature of a particular drug type such as methylamphetamine ('ice'). The key issues going to offence gravity in trafficking cases are the quantity trafficked and the role played by the offender. Strong evidence of rehabilitation, including successful completion of residential treatment programs and ongoing counselling, may warrant a combination sentence (imprisonment plus CCO) rather than a term of imprisonment alone, even for trafficking offences.
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