“A fun drug”, akin to cancer, isn’t worth it

“IT simply isn’t worth it.” A message to 18 and 19 year olds considering taking meth as a party drug.

"IT simply isn't worth it."

That is the message from Justice Graeme Crow to the ­region's 18 and 19 year olds considering taking meth as a party drug which he ­referenced as being like cancer - destructive of many lives other than the addict/patient.

It came as he sentenced a 24 year old for possessing 17.9g meth along with possessing cannabis.

He was on a suspended ­sentence and probation orders from the magistrates court when police raided his home at The Caves, which he shared with his younger siblings, mother and drug using ­former partner.

Jarrad James Peterson ­received a head sentence of three years and nine months prison in the Supreme Court in Rockhampton yesterday.

He will have to serve at least 15 months of the sentence.

Peterson had been given an 18 month suspended sentence in Rockhampton Magistrates Court in February 2017, wholly suspended and operational for two years.

Police then raided his home on Barmoya Rd, The Caves, on June 28, 2018.

Peterson declared to police he had 'crack and weed' in his bedroom.

Justice Crow said police found 24.826 g of crystal meth, which resulted in being 17.9g pure meth when analysed, ­hidden in a black plastic box wrapped in a blanket.

Police also found three glass pipes and scales, along with two bundles of marijuana ­inside clip seal bags weighing 279g.

The marijuana was hidden in a black cardboard box.

In a black satchel bag, police located 18 methylphenidate capsules weighing 8.048g.

Peterson had a flick knife in his bed, along with two shot gun rounds and four .22 calibre bullets.

Peterson failed to appear in court on November 26 when he was scheduled to be ­sentenced for the possession of 17.9g meth and was located by police three days later after police followed a car because a passenger - Peterson - was acting suspiciously.

Peterson had 1.3g ­marijuana, 0.94g meth, a used syringe and a glass pipe on him.

A report about Peterson's "superficial" rehabilitation ­efforts through his probation order said he'd turned up for the induction appointment but demonstrated lack of ­motivation and failed to turn up to eight of 12 appointments, having family members ring to give excuses of work or illness.

"You were given the chance to get away from drugs," Justice Crow said.

"Sadly you didn't do that and approximately four months later, you committed these offences."

He said Peterson's criminal record was "relatively short" in comparison to others that came before the court with possession of large quantity of meth.

Justice Crow said many are introduced to meth as a party drug or "a fun drug" when they are 18 or 19, use it ­recreationally in the beginning but due to the high ­addictiveness, they become regular users, lose their jobs, start living criminal life to ­support their drug habit, resulting in many pages of ­criminal history and lengthy prison sentences.

"You are at the start of that," he said.

Justice Crow said ­documents tendered to the court showed Peterson started associating with "an ­undesirable peer group" when he was 19, which "caused him to cease full-time employment".

He said when Peterson was arrested, he told police due to the quantity of drugs he was using, he had difficultly remembering much of 2018.

Justice Crow referred to a sentence of a drug trafficker, a mature man with significant criminal history, from earlier this year where the defendant said "in trafficking the drugs, he knew he was giving a ­substance akin to cancer".

He said two grams of meth had potential of ruining the lives of 40 people, and their families'.

Justice Crow said the courts made these sentences public "so that other young people who are considering getting involved in the commercial exploitation of these dangerous drugs understand they will go to prison and they will go to prison for a very long time".

"It's simply not worth it," he said.

Peterson will be eligible for parole on December 9, 2020, after 77 days presentence custody were declared.