Drink red wine instead of meth, says judge

An Australian magistrate has come up with a novel approach to tackling drug abuse: recommending drug addicts drink red wine as an alternative to methamphetamine.

Bryan Cranston as Meth manufacturer Walter White in hit TV show Breaking Bad, enjoying a glass of wine.

Reminiscent of what could have been a scene in hit TV series Breaking Bad, in which a chemistry teacher becomes the king pin of a global meth ring, a magistrate in Mudgee, New South Wales, suggested one meth addict should instead turn to red wine as a means of staying out of trouble with the law.

As reported in the Mudgee Guardian, Magistrate Michael Allen suggested to a 44-year old defendant he might want to reconsider taking the illegal drug and offered “red wine or yoga” as alternatives.

Mudgee resident, Jason Sion Nayler, was convicted and fined for possession of a prohibited drug and possession of drug paraphernalia after members of the public voiced their concerns to police about a suspicious vehicle.

Police arrived to find Nayler sitting in a vehicle where he appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

Magistrate Allen asked the defendant, “You’re too old for this, aren’t you?”

To which Nayler responded “yes”.

The magistrate reminded him that amphetamines are typically manufactured by criminal biker gangs whose sole interest is profit and therefore: “you don’t know what’s in it”.

He added: “If you enjoy sensory perception have a glass of red wine at home, or take up yoga”.

Methamphetamine is often referred to as “crystal meth”, according to the NHS, and can give an intense and prolonged high but a severe comedown when feelings of hopelessness and sadness are common.