Drugs

[Smurf1976]

Alcohol remains the biggest public health risk of all illicit drug use.

A drug yes but last time I checked alcohol wasn't illicit. Are you suggesting it ought to be?

 

[brerwallabi]

This thread started because of the Bali situation - kids in jail, what really irks me is for years you could go to Bali have a good time and get smashed on the poison of your choice and have no worries about a life in an Indonesian jail. Now its all about gaining revenge on Australia for East Timor, anyway I am making my protest by ceasing to buy any more shirts (I have several) made in Indonesia and any other product that I identify as coming from there. I would certainly never go to Bali now as the behavior of the Indonesians will be to bust as many Aussie kids as possible which is a great pity as I am sure that many people like me will boycott Bali which will ultimately ruin their economy. A small price for the Indonesians as the Balinese are not Muslims so they dont really care. Anybody now contemplating going to Bali is totally insane and anybody stupid enough to go there and go anywhere near any form of drug will deserve what they get- they have been warned surely.

 

[Happy]

Quite cunning, Indonesia might ruin Bali using our anger over our stupidity.

 

[mista200]

Its a bit unfair to want to ruin Balis economy over this.
The answer to the problem of drugs is education. Lets face it as a young person i know how common drugs are in society and know that they aren't going to go away. I dont think its anyones business what i put into my system as long as im not harming anyone else!!! And i certainly don't think its fair at all for people to get arrested for posession. The only answer to the drug problem is harm minimization!

 

[Knobby22]

Oh come on. I don't want self destructive heroin users, crack users, dope and glue sniffers around.

The aborigines don't believe in this laissez faire policy with their people, why should we?

Bring back putting people in stocks in the City Square. (First offence)
That would minimise it.

 

[Happy]

As an alternative, give them free holidays in Bali for example.

 

[Milk Man]

As an alternative, give them free holidays in Bali for example.

ROTFL

 

[MrBurns]

About time - hope our useless polititians can act on it, doubtful -

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8445600/time-to-rethink-war-on-drugs-think-tank

The war on drugs is over and we lost, says a new report by a group made up of federal law enforcement officers, health ministers and premiers.

 

[rumpole]

I hope this report is the start of an honest, evidence based debate on the issue

 

[MrBurns]

I hope this report is the start of an honest, evidence based debate on the issue

It should be but I have no faith in anything actually being done.

 

[DB008]

Portugal, we should be looking at Portugal...

Drug decriminalization pays off in Portugal as US weighs its options

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/27/portugals-drug-policy-pays-eyes-lessons/

Drugs in Portugal are still illegal. But here’s what Portugal did: It changed the law so that users are sent to counseling and sometimes treatment instead of criminal courts and prison. The switch from drugs as a criminal issue to a public health one was aimed at preventing users from going underground.

Other European countries treat drugs as a public health problem, too, but Portugal stands out as the only one that has written that approach into law. The result: More people tried drugs, but fewer ended up addicted.

Here’s what happened between 2000 and 2008:

_ There were small increases in illicit drug use among adults, but decreases for adolescents and problem users, such as drug addicts and prisoners.

_ Drug-related court cases dropped 66 percent.

_ Drug-related HIV cases dropped 75 percent. In 2002, 49 percent of people with AIDS were addicts; by 2008 that number fell to 28 percent.

_ The number of regular users held steady at less than 3 percent of the population for marijuana and less than 0.3 percent for heroin and cocaine ”” figures which show decriminalization brought no surge in drug use.

_ The number of people treated for drug addiction rose 20 percent from 2001 to 2008.

Drug Decriminalization Policy Pays Off

http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/drug-decriminalization-policy-pays

Portugal, whose drug problems were among the worst in Europe, now has the lowest usage rate for marijuana and one of the lowest for cocaine. Drug-related pathologies, including HIV transmission, hepatitis transmission and drug-related deaths, have declined significantly.

Beyond the data, Portugal's success with decriminalization is illustrated by the absence of political agitation for a return to criminalization. As one might expect for a socially conservative and predominantly Roman Catholic country, the decriminalization proposal sparked intense controversy a decade ago.

 

[MrBurns]

Portugal, we should be looking at Portugal...

Our authorities are too stupid to do anything proactive, their limitations extend to having a talkfest, bit of an old chin wag with tea and scones and ordering a report at great cost that says nothing and wont be acted upon.

 

[Glen48]

And then sit back with a big joint and light up.

About 3/4 of the population in jail's are drug related so we all pay as well as Hilfiger insurance due to break and enters caused by addicts looking for some thing to steal.

 

[MrBurns]

And then sit back with a big joint and light up.

About 3/4 of the population in jail's are drug related so we all pay as well as Hilfiger insurance due to break and enters caused by addicts looking for some thing to steal.

Exactly, the police could get on with some real work if they didnt have this rubbish to deal with.

 

[AbrasiveCamel]

This report is helpful for Australia but it is still an uphill battle in a conservative country - despite the fact if we team up with NZ we are the world leaders in cannabis consumption.

Portugal's case and letters like this are the key...

http://reformdrugpolicy.com/partner/public-letter/

...the US has controlled our/world drug policy for 40 years. Once we see it start to fall apart, an inevitability in the next decade imo, and countries remove themselves from the three UN treaties and change to harm reduction and health strategies we will then probably follow suit.

Don't expect us to be at the forefront of the eventual collapse of this ****ing joke that is the drug war.

 

[DB008]

Carr joins calls for rethink of drugs laws

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-03/eminent-group-calls-for-end-to-drug-prohibition/3928706

Senator Carr, whose younger brother died of a heroin overdose, contributed to the report before entering federal politics.
"I don't believe a legalised drug regime can work, I'm opposed to that," Senator Carr said.

Today's report, written for the think tank Australia21, claims the war on drugs has failed and Australia should consider legalising some substances.

 

[awg]

Carr joins calls for rethink of drugs laws

I agree wholeheartedly with Carr's reservations about sniffer dogs at railway stations.

Godammed if I want my ass sniffed, saw 30+ cops at the railway station the other morning 9.00am, having a great time lolling about in the sun, got my ticket checked 3 times by armed cops recently on a train

I was almost overcome by an urge to tell them to get their ass on the streets at the right time and go bust some proper crims, (not some hapless dopesmokers on the 9.00am train,) the wastage was shocking, how does it make any sense at all?

 

[Julia]

Isn't there a sense of irony in all the recent passionate outpourings that alcohol should be way more highly taxed to discourage drinking by the population, yet a few days later we are apparently advocating the legalisation or at least decriminalisation of "drugs".

None of these academics presenting the idea has proposed which drugs they believe should be made available to anyone who wants to take them.
Opiates maybe? Where the overwhelming need to increase the dose to achieve the original effect, or just to avoid the misery of withdrawal is one of their main features.

Terrific. Just what we need. Come and try whatever you like, kids. No worries.
You'll probably get hooked but that's OK. The taxpayer will make sure your drugs are pure and you can get whatever quantities you need.

 

[MrBurns]

Not advocating putting the price up on grog, just more control by other measures.

Not legalise drugs but decriminalise their use by addicts, that way the Govt could supply them under controlled conditions and give counselling at the same time.

Anythings better than what's happening now.

 

[Sean K]

Prohibition has only been going for a hundred or so years. Give it a chance.