guideline

The policy is considered more of a guideline, however, since there is no legal penalty for not following it.

The guideline provides an easy-to-understand benchmark, but in practice it doesn’t really work, according to some.

The recommendation is a good guideline, but is getting more difficult to do in practice.

These include legislative changes over concerns about abuse, prescribing guideline changes, increased efforts to reduce potentially inappropriate prescribing and greater promotion of alternative strategies such as pain support programmes and counselling.

It will also consider the relevant statute and case law including; the maximum sentence which the court can impose, any sentencing guideline judgments relevant to the offence committed, whether the offender pleaded guilty, the level of culpability, the offender’s previous convictions, and any other aggravating or mitigating factors presented to the court by the prosecution and defence.