The 'war on drugs' has failed, and Australia must change its policies

[poledriver]

The 'war on drugs' has failed, and Australia must change its policies

It has long been evident the global "war on drugs" sparked by then US president Richard Nixon about half a century ago is one of the most tragic and abject failures in the history of public policy. Rather than reduce harm caused by substance misuse and addiction, it has cost countless lives by treating people with a medical problem as criminals. It has wasted a fortune in taxpayers' money. It has enriched criminal cartels. It has epitomised politicians' propensity to pander to fear, rather than to lead enlightened community change by championing evidence-based policy.

That is why The Age has for years been arguing the policy should be dumped in favour of a harm minimisation strategy based on decriminalisation, regulation and education. We continue to so advocate, and believe the resources being wasted on this misguided, indefensible "war" should be diverted from the criminal justice system to the health system, where there is a need for more treatment facilities and support to help those with drug issues recover and stay well.

Today we repeat what we said five years ago: "The Age is not in any way seeking to condone or encourage the misuse of addictive substances, be they legal or illegal. On the contrary, we stress that addictive drugs are extremely dangerous, particularly for young people, whose brains are still developing and who are particularly vulnerable to drug-induced mental health problems. Drug addiction and misadventure cause tragedies. Far too many Australian families can attest to that. That is the point; we are arguing for a public debate about policies to minimise harm."

And so we welcome the courage and leadership of Greens leader Richard Di Natale, a former drugs and alcohol doctor, who in recent days convinced his party to abandon its blanket opposition to the legalisation of illicit drugs.

"It's time to recognise this is a health problem not a law and order one. We have to have an open, honest conversation about this and stop pretending we're winning this war," he said.

Senator Di Natale's timing is favourable. The barriers to reform are tumbling, as politicians and policymakers the world over, unable to any longer ignore the facts, are decriminalising substances, particularly cannabis. Portugal, which Senator Di Natale recently visited on a study tour, is seen as the global leader on drugs policy, having decriminalised drugs 15 years ago. This has led to a decrease in drug use, crime, disease and overdoses.

"It's time to recognise this is a health problem not a law and order one. We have to have an open, honest conversation about this and stop pretending we're winning this war," he said.

Senator Di Natale's timing is favourable. The barriers to reform are tumbling, as politicians and policymakers the world over, unable to any longer ignore the facts, are decriminalising substances, particularly cannabis. Portugal, which Senator Di Natale recently visited on a study tour, is seen as the global leader on drugs policy, having decriminalised drugs 15 years ago. This has led to a decrease in drug use, crime, disease and overdoses.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/th...must-change-its-policies-20161129-gszwmj.html

 

[poledriver]

Some comments after the article -

Malcolm Kyle, Nov 29 2016 at 11:00pm-

SWISS HEROIN-ASSISTED TREATMENT 1994- 2016: SUMMARY

* Crime Issues: 60% drop in felony crimes by patients (80% drop after one year in the program). 82% drop in patients selling heroin.

* Death Rates: No one has died from a heroin overdose since the inception of the program. The heroin used is inspected for purity and strength by technicians.

* Disease Rates: New infections of Hepatitis and HIV have been reduced for patients in the program.

* New Use Rates: Slightly lower than expected. 1) As reported in the Lancet June 3, 2006, the medicalisation of using heroin has tarnished the image of heroin and made it unattractive to young people. 2) Most new users are introduced to heroin by members of their social group and 50% of users also deal to support their habit. Therefore, with so many users/sellers in treatment, non-users have fewer opportunities to be exposed to heroin, especially in the rural areas.

* Cost Issues: 48 dollars/day: Patient costs are covered by national health insurance agency. Patients pay 700 dollars/year for the compulsory insurance. Note: The Swiss save about 38 dollars per day per patient mostly in lowered costs for court and police time, due to less crime committed by the patients.

* In December 2008 the Swiss voted (68%-32%) to make the program part of their body of laws.

Heroin assisted treatment is fully a part of the national health system in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. Additional trials are being carried out in Canada and Belgium.

A clinical follow-up report on the German "Heroinstudie" found that 40% of all patients and 68% of those able to work had found employment after four years of treatment. Some even started a family, after years of homelessness and delinquency.

Cookoo Melbourne, Nov 30 2016 at 4:01pm-

Nice work Malcolm, if anyone (apart from the far right who will never see sense) has any doubts about the war on drugs being an abject failure, go and find a book called "chasing the scream". Then you may have a much better grasp on why we are were we are today.
Of course Portugal have turned there massive drug problem around. But lil ol Australia is run by white old aged males who believe in a mythical man who they believe created the world and will not have the guts to make a decision as profound as lil Ol Portugal.