Australia: Criminal Law

New South Wales is preparing landmark reforms to drug-driving laws that would allow medicinal cannabis patients to drive with THC in their system, provided they meet specific conditions and stay below prescribed thresholds. The proposal introduces a three-strike warning system and threshold-based testing, marking a significant departure from the state's current zero-tolerance approach that has long penalised legitimate patients who test positive days after medication use.

A NSW appeal court has overturned part of a young man's prison sentence after finding he lost more than three months of credit for time already spent in custody. The ruling highlights the complex and often misunderstood process of calculating pre-sentence custody, particularly when charges are later withdrawn or dismissed.

A protester locks himself onto heavy machinery at a coal terminal, halting operations for hours. A furious ex-partner smashes a television during an argument. A teenager spray-paints graffiti across a train carriage.