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Unit of Study LAWS2060 - Drugs, Crime and the Law (2025)

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Unit Snapshot

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Unit description

Considers the drug laws and their application in the legal system, with emphasis on legal, illegal and prescription drugs. Students will first look at the history of drug laws in Australia and compare these to developments internationally. Students will then study the current laws in terms of the principal offences of possession, cultivation/manufacture, self-administration, importation, prescription offences and supply. This provides the platform for analysis of the way the law is currently operating, and the options for change in the future. Relevant to those studying law, sports science, health science and welfare disciplines.

Unit content

Module 1: What are drugs and why do people use them?

Module 2: Strategies, policies and drug law options

Module 3: Offences I — summary offences, drug premises and indictable offences

Module 4: Offences II — Commonwealth and miscellaneous offences

Module 5: Criminal Procedure and drug offences – investigation, arrest, bail, trial, intoxication, admissions, and charge negotiations 

Module 6: Sentencing, confiscation and diversion

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Online
Term5
Term5

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

evaluate drug law and policy demonstrating the ability to differentiate prohibition models

discuss, analyse and apply criminal procedure in the context of drug laws

apply knowledge of the law in topics covered by the unit to advise parties of their rights and liabilities in hypothetical problem and dispute situations

develop high levels of analytical skills in the reading of cases, statutes and legal documentation relating to drug law.

Prescribed learning resources

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Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.