38. DPCSA Trafficking Quantities — Which Threshold? (Vic)¶
Scope and currency
Cheat sheet · Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 (Vic) ss 70(1), 71, 71AA, 73(2) + Schedule Eleven
Every tier has TWO thresholds — a MIXTURE weight and a PURE weight — and the prosecution can satisfy the tier by EITHER route. Schedule Eleven runs the two tracks in parallel: total (mixture) weight in Columns 1B / 2A / 3, and pure weight in Columns 1A / 2 / 3A. So before you look up a number, ask: which tier, and which track?
Schedule Eleven — the column map¶
| Column | What it specifies | Track |
|---|---|---|
| Column 1 | The drug — chemical or botanical name (e.g. diacetylmorphine, cocaine, methylamphetamine). | — |
| Column 1A | Large commercial quantity — pure weight of the drug itself. | PURE |
| Column 1B | Large commercial quantity — total weight of a mixture containing the drug. | MIXTURE |
| Column 2 | Commercial quantity — pure weight. | PURE |
| Column 2A | Commercial quantity — total weight of a mixture. | MIXTURE |
| Column 2B | The automatic forfeiture quantity. | — |
| Column 3 | Traffickable quantity — total weight of a mixture. | MIXTURE |
| Column 3A | Traffickable quantity — pure drug weight. | PURE |
| Column 4 | The small quantity threshold. | — |
| STEP 1 Which tier, and which track? | ||
| Is the drug mixed with anything — and does the mixture reach the mixture threshold? Large commercial and commercial quantities are the thresholds for ss 71 and 71AA. A traffickable quantity is significant because it is prima facie evidence of an intent to sell under s 73(2). → Mixture track: if the drug is contained in or mixed with another substance and the total quantity of that mixture is not less than the mixture threshold (Column 1B / 2A / 3), the tier is met — see the "any amount" principle below (s 70(1) definition ©(i) for traffickable). → Pure track: "in any other case" — where the drug is completely unmixed, or the total mixture weight falls below the mixture threshold — the quantity is measured strictly by the pure weight of the drug (Column 1A / 2 / 3A) (s 70(1) definition ©(ii)). → Either route will do: for a traffickable quantity the prosecution can prove either that the total mixture weight meets Column 3 or that the actual pure weight of the drug within the substance meets Column 3A. |
The 'any amount' principle — the mixture (admixture) rule
under s 70(1), a mixture containing a drug of dependence is deemed to be a commercial, large commercial or traffickable quantity if the total weight of the mixture meets or exceeds the respective mixture threshold (Column 1B, 2A or 3). The legal effect is decisive: the prosecution is NOT required to prove the purity or concentration. The presence of "any amount" — even a microscopic trace — of the drug in that mixture is sufficient to satisfy the quantity element.
The thresholds¶
Manufactured drugs — total (mixture) vs pure¶
| Drug | Tier | Total weight (Col 1B / 2A / 3) | Pure weight (Col 1A / 2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMPHETAMINE | Large commercial | 1.0 kg | 750.0 g |
| AMPHETAMINE | Commercial | 500.0 g | 100.0 g |
| AMPHETAMINE | Traffickable | 3.0 g | Not in source |
| COCAINE | Large commercial | 1.0 kg | 750.0 g |
| COCAINE | Commercial | 500.0 g | 250.0 g |
| COCAINE | Traffickable | 3.0 g | Not in source |
| DIACETYLMORPHINE (heroin) | Large commercial | 750.0 g | 500.0 g |
| DIACETYLMORPHINE (heroin) | Commercial | 250.0 g | 50.0 g |
| DIACETYLMORPHINE (heroin) | Traffickable | 3.0 g | Not in source |
| METHYLAMPHETAMINE | Large commercial | 750.0 g | 500.0 g |
| METHYLAMPHETAMINE | Commercial | 250.0 g | 50.0 g |
| METHYLAMPHETAMINE | Traffickable | 3.0 g | Not in source |
| MDMA | Large commercial | 1.0 kg | 750.0 g |
| MDMA | Commercial | 500.0 g | 100.0 g |
| MDMA | Traffickable | 3.0 g | Not in source |
| TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL | Large commercial | 25.0 kg | 3.0 kg |
| TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL | Commercial | 10.0 kg | 1.0 kg |
| TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL | Traffickable | 25.0 g | Not in source |
Narcotic plants¶
| Plant | Tier | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Cannabis L. | Large commercial | 250 kg |
| Cannabis L. | Commercial | 25.0 kg |
| Cannabis L. | Traffickable | 250.0 g |
| Erythroxylum coca Lam (coca) | Commercial | 80.0 kg |
| Erythroxylum coca Lam (coca) | Traffickable | 800.0 g |
| Papaver somniferum L. (opium poppy) | Large commercial | 1000 plants |
| Papaver somniferum L. (opium poppy) | Commercial | 10.0 kg |
Reading the table: the "Total weight" column is the mixture threshold (Schedule Eleven Columns 1B, 2A and 3); the "Pure weight" column is the pure threshold (Columns 1A and 2). "Not in source" for traffickable pure weight does not mean there is none — the pure traffickable figure sits in Column 3A, which was simply not extracted into this table. Look it up before running a pure-track traffickable argument.
Feeding the aggregation formula: these figures are the denominators when you aggregate different drugs under s 70(1): Σ ( each drug's quantity ÷ that drug's own threshold ) ≥ 1. Use the mixture column (2A / 1B) as the divisor only where the mixture meets that threshold — otherwise use the pure column (2 / 1A) and exclude cutting agents from the numerator. Aggregation is confined to commercial and large commercial; different drugs cannot be aggregated to reach a traffickable quantity (s 73(2)).
Quick sanity checks¶
• Mixture beats purity: if the total mixture hits Column 2A / 1B, stop — you need not prove purity at all.
• Below the mixture line: revert to the pure column and weigh only the drug, not the cutting agents.
• Traffickable is dual-track: Column 3 (mixture) or Column 3A (pure) — either satisfies s 73(2).
• Heroin and meth are the strictest: commercial at 250 g mixture / 50 g pure — half the amphetamine, cocaine and MDMA mixture threshold.
• THC vs cannabis plant: do not confuse the THC thresholds (25 kg / 10 kg / 25 g) with the Cannabis L. plant thresholds (250 kg / 25 kg / 250 g).
Currency & verification
these figures are reproduced exactly as supplied in your quantities table, and the column mapping was verified against the source material on 9 August 2026. Schedule Eleven is amended from time to time — confirm the current figures and column letters against the consolidated Act before relying on any single number, and note that Columns 2B (automatic forfeiture), 3A (pure traffickable) and 4 (small quantity) are not reproduced here.