Drug Charges Lawyer
Cairns & Far North Queensland
You have been charged with a drug offence. Police may have searched your car, your home, or your person and located a substance. You may have spent a night in the watch-house. You are thinking about your criminal record, your job, and whether you are going to jail. What happens next depends on the charge, what the evidence actually shows, and what is done with the case between now and your court date. For many drug offences, a criminal record is not inevitable.
Your Charge Determines What Happens Next
Drug offences in Queensland are governed by the Drugs Misuse Act 1986 (Qld). The charge you face — and the court that deals with it — depends on the substance, the quantity, and what the prosecution alleges you were doing with it. Possession of a dangerous drug under section 9 is the most common drug charge in the Cairns Magistrates Court. It covers a person found with a quantity of a substance…
Drug Diversion — Resolving a Charge Without a Criminal Record
If your charge involves possession of a small quantity for personal use, you may be eligible for drug diversion. Diversion allows the matter to resolve without a conviction and without an entry on your criminal history — provided you complete a drug assessment or education session. Queensland's drug diversion laws changed significantly in April 2026. The old three-tier system was repealed. The new…
When the Allegation Goes Beyond Possession
The gap between a possession charge and a supply allegation is often not about the drug itself — it is about what else police found and what they say it means. Scales, clip-seal bags, cash, and messaging records are routinely relied on to frame a possession matter as something more serious. Where the quantity exceeds certain thresholds, the prosecution may argue the drug was for supply — even…
Fixed Fees
- Drug Possession — Magistrates Court Plea — $2,100
- Drug Supply or Production — Magistrates Court Plea — $4,800
- Drug Diversion — $1,650