The Clark 'principle' requiring exceptional circumstances to avoid full-time custody for drug trafficking to a substantial degree no longer applies. Sentencing judges in drug supply cases must apply the instinctive synthesis approach, taking into account all relevant factors without any assumed starting point of full-time custody. The correct approach is the three-step process: (1) whether imprisonment is appropriate; (2) the length of the sentence; (3) whether alternatives to full-time incarceration are available and appropriate. Deterrence and community protection remain important considerations, and the high maximum penalties and standard non-parole periods for drug supply offences serve as legislative guideposts.
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