Should we decriminalise drugs?

[viljo]

Peter Ryan, Sam Biondo From: Herald Sun April 04, 2012 12:00AM

POLICE Minister Peter Ryan says decriminalising or legalising presently illicit drugs would be a leap towards disaster. Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association executive director Sam Biondo feels differently.

Peter Ryan

TO decriminalise or legalise presently illicit drugs would be a leap towards disaster.

A wealth of experience has contributed to the Australia21 report, and the Victorian Government welcomes the focus it brings to promoting better health outcomes in the war against drugs, but to surrender in the face of untested proposals is simply dangerous and irresponsible.

Law enforcement plays a central role in stamping out illicit drugs and the harm they bring to our community.

Victorians expect the Government to do everything possible to fight the curse of the drug trade, which is the lifeblood of organised crime gangs.

It is likely that without law enforcement efforts, drug-related activity would be even more prevalent in today's society.

The Victorian Government is concentrating as much effort and resources as it can to support the intensive work Victoria Police undertakes on this front, including bringing 1700 more police online by 2014.

The Government recognises the importance of helping those in our community caught up in the terrible nightmare of drug addiction but to assume this type of activity can somehow be controlled through a legalised commercially operated drug market is a fiction

Recently, I launched the Serious Crime and Organised Crime State Conference 2012 in Melbourne, attended by police from interstate and overseas, which focused largely on co-ordinated efforts to stamp out the illegal drug trade.

The Government recognises the importance of helping those in our community caught up in the terrible nightmare of drug addiction but to assume this type of activity can somehow be controlled through a legalised commercially operated drug market is a fiction.

In conjunction with the strong role of law enforcement is the need to resource diversion and treatment programs for those with a drug dependence.

There is also clear evidence of the health problems associated with illicit drug use, such the increasing evidence about the potential for cannabis use to have very adverse physical, psychological and social outcomes, particularly for those who first use at an early age.

It has been 15 years since Victoria last had a plan to tackle drugs in our community.

The Government is in the process of developing a whole-of-government alcohol and drug strategy to decrease the rates of alcohol and other drug abuse in Victoria, reduce the harm that alcohol and drug abuse cause in the community, and increase access to treatment.

In addition, the Government is investing $188 million in new funding for prevention and treatment services for those with drug and alcohol addiction.

The Victorian Government will continue to campaign against the use of drugs in every respect.

Sam Biondo

THEY say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

The set of policies dubbed "the war on drugs", which focuses on law enforcement and criminalisation of users and suppliers, has not stopped drug use or the damage caused by drug misuse.

After 40 years we need to accept that focusing on stopping supply has not worked, and it's time to look at other options.

While the total legalisation of drugs may, rightly or wrongly, be hard to contemplate and unachievable in our existing political climate, we should still have a look at what works and what doesn't.

The current debate focusing on decriminalisation is important if we want to save lives and reduce the alcohol and other drug-related harms to individuals, their loved ones and the community.

Using our police, courts and prisons to punish people for taking drugs spends scarce resources that could go on treating people as well as improving our health and education systems
My role on the front line has convinced me that decriminalisation, which lets us focus on drug misuse as a health issue, not a legal issue, is the way forward.

The "war on drugs" has used up billions of dollars and caused collateral damage by driving use underground, corrupting public officials globally and making it harder for us to treat people with drug dependence issues.

Using our police, courts and prisons to punish people for taking drugs spends scarce resources that could go on treating people as well as improving our health and education systems.

The evidence that treatment helps people, and that initiatives like heroin injecting rooms save lives, is well established and irrefutable.

I hope yesterday's Australia21 report could be the start of a real debate on drug issues, one where politicians and other leaders are able to speak freely and summon up the courage to apply policies that are informed by evidence and not just knee-jerk reactions.

We can all agree that misuse of alcohol and other drugs causes significant harm. How we reduce this is a more complex question, but one that has become overshadowed by prejudices.

Politicians are scared of questioning the way we approach illegal drugs for fear they will be painted as soft. At the same time we have allowed alcohol to become more widely available, with its use widely accepted.

It concerns me that so many policy makers wait until they are retired to speak openly about their views and ask the hard questions about our drug policy.

Comments on this story

Julie Posted at 7:51 AM Today
Decriminalise drugs? why not decriminalise burglaries and robbery and assaults since we also don't seem able to control them. And remove all road speed limits too, while we are reforing the law. Decriminalising drugs is simply giving in. If I offend some with that firm view I am sorry. But your soft option to decriminalise offends me.

Fletch of Melbourne Suburb Posted at 7:46 AM Today
I am totally against decriminalising drugs.Just imagine the huge influx of drugs into the community if drug taking is decriminalised? It is not safe on the streets now, but it will be damnedly worse if the government make this move.

Chris of northcote Posted at 7:43 AM Today
Yep ban drugs..........INCLUDING ALCOHOL............see how the pollies go with that?????? We need to wise up to what is going on in the world. Drugs are widespread and widly used by many parts of the community. Licence, control and tax.

Kathleen Posted at 4:40 AM Today
Yeah sure, decriminalise drugs, so then we can have so many more 'but legit' killers on the road.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion

YESTERDAYS RESULTS...
SHOULD DRUGS BE LEGALISED , REGULATED AND TAXED INSTEAD OF FIGHTING CRIME?
51% YES AND 49% NO
BUT PLEASE NOTE I NEVER VOTED.

 

[KingLordMaster]

Altering your mind with substances is part of the human condition and experience. Politics, social factors and even economy have no place in this discussion, its all part of their control game (although these are real issues which cannot be ignored).

I will say this though, I cannot understand why some drugs even like LSD are illegal. That stuff is powerful, and can really make a few things go wrong if in the wrong hands used in wrong ways.

 

[drizzit]

its about family... people lose people. its sad but that wont stop a crack head from smoking crack. i think everything should be legal and taxed so the government can stop worrying about money,population limit, and if there was rehab supported and paid for by the people (like jail) the people who want to not be addicted would get help instead of junkies being forced into it or people who don't want to be forced in to groups like that then make friends who do harder drugs. maybe that friend starts introducing that person to that drug or the person is interested regardless. iv smoked pot for a long time i dont smoke cigs,drink alcohol and iv never intentionally done coke (laced blunt :/) i dont enjoy uppers was not fond of molly and have lost friends and family to heroin an crack. one death and some just gone. but its all the roll of the dice an thats my 2 cents

 

[drizzit]

and maybe it could help or increase the homeless. ending in an all out mass homeless army of addict crazy zombie's. killing and raiding all with utter insanity! B-OH

 

[Mrjelly]

Drugs are devastating the planet. They are the one thing that we have very little control over. Now I do not think that MJ or mushrooms fall into this category but refined cocaine and certainly meth and heroin are evil substances that have no common place in the world. mushrooms and other substances can be extremely enlightening but PCP is not something that should be considered.

I do not think this war on drugs works though... It is crazy! Legalize it and regulate it, just like alcohol. Then you take the power out of the dealers hands and put it back into the peoples. I think the clinics for medical marijuana in California are a great example of how it can be legitimately sold.

The war on drugs is impossible to win and it only allows evil intentioned men a chance to exploit for monetary gain a weakness in people. The only way to end it is to legalize the trade of all illegal substances. I like Paul Ryan but I do not agree with his position on this. It needs to be something that we move towards slowley but I think we start with the natural substances and move to the legalization of all drugs.

 

[zgoat69]

I think that ALL drugs should be legalized. Even the ones (like crack) with NO therapeutic value. Fact was made known previously: people that wanna use are gonna use. Whether its legal or not. And legalization doesn't mean that we'd have crackheads as police officers, or stoned operators at the nuclear plant. Those that want to use could do so without fear of imprisonment, and employers could still maintain hiring statutes that promote the kind of business they do. Piss tests wouldn't all of a sudden be a thing of the past. In fact, they'd probably become more prevalent in places where you'd never think to see them.......like McDonalds. If an employer doesn't want to hire crack heads then they still won't have to.

Everyone seems to think that by legalizing drugs that everyone will become a drug addict. This is simply not true. In the US there are already laws in place that can simply be expanded to encompass all drugs. Like public intoxication, driving under the influence, etc. These laws are to protect the general public from those that consume alcohol, and the aim of these laws is to make it so that you enjoy alcohol and its effects in the proper environment (I.e. a bar with a designated driver or yer own home). The same could bee done with all drugs. And responsibility would have it that if drugs became legal tomorrow, those that partake should do it in a proper environment and not endanger others by driving while intoxicated. Its almost a guaranteed fact that the crime rate would lower. In my state, over half of the inmates housed in the Dept. Of Criminal Justice, are there for a drug related crime of some type. I long for the day when SWIz's knowledge of clandestine chemistry could land him a good job in a meth factory.

 

[zezt]

A they now are finding--the so-called self-proclaimed warriors against drugs. More and more and more new moelecular and other versions of drugs appear as soon as ones are added to their hit list. This is also bad in that new strains can be more potent. Here is an example with cannabis for example. I first started toking cannabis in 1971. In them days you had a MENU of a variety of tokes to choose from, eg---Afghan, Black, Nepalise, Lebanese, Thai Stick, Californian, Congeleese, etc etc etc---all with different feeling. WHEN they got heavy with the hippy dealers who were mostly into peace and love and not bread-head ripping people off, the market became more and more into the hands of the criminal types who just wanted profits, and they began mixing the cannabis with all types of crap, and the real bad stuff was called 'formula', and the 'hashish' version was more like roastin rubber tyes and the taste was terrible but you felt SO fucked getting most of your wages ripped off you would TRY and smole it and trying to get a buzz---denial. Sooooo, eventually these prpfit heads start pushing the strong strain of Skunk, and because we cannot trust the other more natural and more natural cannabis diverse strains anymore and can only even get skunk we are FORCED to get this (of course the Amsterdam experience will be different), and now we hear reports of youths going 'psychotic' from smoking too much skunk weed. WHOSE FUKING FAULT IS THAT?! Of course it is the prohibitionist. It is the same patterns that happened with alcohol prohibition when people were often driven to drinking the very toxic hooch Whitelightning etc.
The people who wage a war on drugs whilst pushing their OWN variety and causing this proliferation of more harmful strains and all the unbelievable violence oppressing more and more of the communities all over the world are the REAL criminals who want locking up and the key throwing away! We cant do that unfortunately, but what we can do collectively is really seee what's going on and not hold back speaking out against this evil 'war'.

 

[xmrvoslikx]

Legalize Drugs: Zero Tolerance, Prohibition, Drug Laws, and the War on Drugs - Ron Paul - YouTube

 

[Greno]

As I am actually watching "Boardwalk Empire", I just want to emphasize when prohibited, alcool wasn't pure and was usually mixed with a bunch of dangerous things. Besides if we recall a few incidents and make statistic related to Alcohol consumption, it is really hard to have a slightless idea of real consumption of a prohibited product, simply because quality is not controlled, so for general health issues, users could gain and benefit from it.

 

[Greno]

One can ask himself if it is not the same person selling it who forbid ... CIA maybe (English is not my mother tongue!)

 

[nomanseo15]

yes we should.

 

[fishinabottle]

We have suffered prohibition for much to long already, alone the idea goverment threatening adults with punishment if those dare to use mindaltering compounds in privacy? How degraded have we become to think such a thing might be morally legal?

Anyways, this must be overthrown.
Then I demand a 25 years period of adaption in which drugs are mandatory.
Except alcohol, thats understood.

/ORG

 

[man from Armenia]

No, the modern policies are just fine

 

[Pretzel Logic]

I really don't mind that drugs like: cocain, heroin,ecsazy,meth are illegal. But I do care when they are outlowing nature,like mushrooms,salvia,cannabis,peyote,...

 

[Hom1ez]

Some of them

 

[andyk123]

good read...thanks for that