asphyx
Bluelighter
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- Oct 11, 2007
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THE use of dangerous, addictive drugs, such as Australian-made heroin, should be decriminalised, a medical expert says.
Prison doctor Wendell Rosevear wants locally made heroin to be given to addicts in government-sanctioned doses by 2020.
In an idea slammed by family groups, he used Kevin Rudd's 2020 Summit to call for all drugs to be legalised.
The Queensland GP said keeping drugs illegal simply handed money to terrorists and criminals.
"I think it would be better to actually sell the opium that we grow in Tasmania and undercut the profits (of illegal drugs)," he said.
"Now, the profit margin is about 3000 per cent, from the farms to the street."
Australian Family Association spokeswoman Angela Conway said the idea was incomprehensible.
"The social fallout from a policy like that would be sending a message to the community that this is OK," she said.
"Legality is equated with morality and, on some level, acceptance by society.
"Dealers and manufacturers will use it to their advantage and say it's legal - what's the big deal?"
In South Australia, there are moves to wind back laws that allow the backyard cultivation of cannabis for personal use amid fears organised crime groups are exploiting the loophole.
The National Mental Health Council says cannabis and amphetamines can inflame schizophrenia and depression.
"There is clear evidence that drugs make mental illness worse," NMHC chief David Crosbie said.
He said there was some merit in administering controlled doses of drugs to addicts, but attacked the idea of widespread legalisation.
"If they're readily available on every street corner, that would be an absolute disaster," Mr Crosbie said.
Dr Rosevear, who has 30 years' experience working in the jail system, wants safe and precise doses of drugs made available to users.
"People are taking unknown doses of unknown drugs from unknown sources, and they overdose and they die," he said.
Dr Rosevear said the change should apply to all drugs, including ecstasy, ice and marijuana.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23571150-662,00.html