CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
After 47-years in the making, the metrication of Australia has been officially completed today, as Australian drug dealers finally make the transition from the Imperial system.
As of Melbourne cup this year, Australian drug dealers will no longer use measurements such as ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce to unitise marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines.
Before 1970, Australia mostly used the imperial system for measurement, which the Australian colonies had inherited from the United Kingdom. Between 1970 and 1988, imperial units were withdrawn from general legal use and replaced with SI metric units, facilitated through legislation and government agencies.
However, due to an unwillingness to cooperate with government agencies, the Australia’s drug cooks, traffickers and dealers make up the last industry that adheres to imperial measurements.
Local drug dealer, Beaudeane Sullivan (35) says it’s been a long time coming, and that he is happy to finally see a transition.
“Most of our industry are staunch republicans” he says.
“We do not see the benefit in having the Queen of England as a head of state, and therefore resent any throwbacks of Imperialism”
However, Beaudeane says the biggest challenge for his industry has been communicating to customers that the ounce will now be known as a “two eight three five” (28.35g).
“It’s been tricky. We can’t advertise these things, so most of the information has been shared face-to-face in the front of a WRX”
SI units are now the sole legal units of measurement in Australia. Australia’s largely successful transition to the metric system contrasts with the ongoing opposition to metrication in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
