Drug Offences - New Sentencing Guidelines Explained

Introduction

The nature and range of drug offences spans a wide spectrum; from simple possession, to industrial scale importation and county-lines dealing in the middle.

From April 2021, new sentencing guidelines for drug offences from the Sentencing Council come into force in relation to adult offenders.

The Sentencing Council has specifically updated the guidelines to include the rise in exploitation of vulnerable people, an increase in drug purity and new drugs on the market. The guidelines apply to both the magistrates and crown court.

This webinar will also take a brief look at the minimum sentencing provisions under the Sentencing Act 2020.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• Updated guidance for offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
• New guidelines for offences under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016
• Issues around sentence disparity associated with ethnicity and sex
• Sentencing in relation to new and more powerful drugs such as spice
• The difference in sentencing for offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act and the Psychoactive Substances Act

This webinar was recorded on 29th June 2021