Philip Polkinghorne sentenced to 150 hours of community work on meth charges

I admit I’m not sure what the typical charges are for possessing 37g of meth, but this seems incredibly low.

In the article it says the defence cited similar cases and suggested a $650 fine out of a maximum $1000.

The judge didn't think a $600 fine would deter him so opted for 200 hours community service (reduced to 150 due to mitigating circumstances).

He's also been clean since 2021 taking regular drug tests.

I dunno, I tend to think drug addiction is a health problem not a justice problem so it seems fine to me.

You're right; drug addiction should indeed be treated as a health issue rather than a criminal one. However, his sentence was for possessing a significant amount of methamphetamine (Class A) and drug paraphernalia.

I know people who received similar sentences for having only a few ounces of marijuana (Class C) for personal use along with a utensil, though this was some years ago.