poledriver
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2005
- Messages
- 11,543
Illicit drugs are illegal for good reason
By - Troy Grant
As a former police officer, I knocked on the doors of parents with the horrible task of telling them their child has died. I locked up drug dealers, and charged people for drug possession.
I have seen the terrible harm caused by drugs and believe that illicit drugs are illicit for a reason, because they are dangerous.
The recent deaths of seven young people, mostly at music festivals, in NSW and interstate are a tragedy. They demonstrate that illicit pills such as ecstasy are not just "party" or "love" drugs.
Currently there are calls for the NSW government and the NSW taxpayers to provide a pill-testing regime at music festivals.
The argument is that this will reduce deaths and harm to people who take illicit pills by offering some advice about how safe their pills are prior to consumption.
I have no firm evidence before me that pill testing will save a life. Even world-renowned experts will tell you: it is very difficult to straightforwardly prove that pill testing actually prevents death or harm.
Closer to home, NSW Health clearly states that while pill testing checks for the presence of particular compounds in a pill, it does not reduce the risk of overdose or the harmful impacts of other chemicals that may be in it.
The drugs themselves are inherently unsafe, even if they do not kill you. MDMA, the active chemical in ecstasy, has harmful physical and psychological effects.
This government will not fund a scheme that may well tell you or your child some of the content of a pill or the strength of a pill but cannot tell you the impact it will have on one person to the next.
This government cannot act as a quality assurer for drug dealers whose pills may kill one of our young people, whether they are tested or not.
That may sound like a hardline approach. I don't think by any means that law enforcement alone can fix our drugs scourge although recent major drug seizures show we have not given up in tackling the source of supply.
We can and already do minimise harm in NSW, such as through our needle exchange program that prevents transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C – but nowhere in NSW do we test any sort of illicit drugs for purity and content to ensure their "safe" use.
We need to approach our illicit drugs scourge in a considered, intelligent way that recognises law enforcement is only part of the answer.
Comprehensive education that starts early – well before someone has purchased a pill with the intent of taking it – is crucial.
Rehabilitation and support for families, and society owning the problem along with government is the way forward if we are to be progressive in tackling this scourge.
Last week, with Assistant Health Minister Pru Goward, I co-chaired a drugs roundtable that brought in our best minds in health, the non-government sector and law enforcement to work towards new solutions in priority areas.
On the agenda was how we can we improve pathways into treatment and prevent dangerous behaviours, how families can better support their children and loved ones into treatment, and how can we enhance the work of police and the criminal justice system to keep communities safe.
This roundtable which will meet again shortly recognises we can always improve our approaches, and the need to adapt to the ever-changing drug use environment.
It also recognises the long-term harm to health and families of drug use and the need for a strong focus on rehabilitation as well as early intervention.
This government is also working more closely with festival organisers so that they actively promote safe and drug-free festivals, and have appropriate policing resources and medical staff on site.
We all have a shared responsibility for ensuring the welfare of our kids – there is no simple solution, so let's treat this as the complex challenge it is.
Troy Grant is the NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Justice and Police.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/head-20160223-gn20tj#ixzz41Iz2yBDT
By - Troy Grant
As a former police officer, I knocked on the doors of parents with the horrible task of telling them their child has died. I locked up drug dealers, and charged people for drug possession.
I have seen the terrible harm caused by drugs and believe that illicit drugs are illicit for a reason, because they are dangerous.
The recent deaths of seven young people, mostly at music festivals, in NSW and interstate are a tragedy. They demonstrate that illicit pills such as ecstasy are not just "party" or "love" drugs.
Currently there are calls for the NSW government and the NSW taxpayers to provide a pill-testing regime at music festivals.
The argument is that this will reduce deaths and harm to people who take illicit pills by offering some advice about how safe their pills are prior to consumption.
I have no firm evidence before me that pill testing will save a life. Even world-renowned experts will tell you: it is very difficult to straightforwardly prove that pill testing actually prevents death or harm.
Closer to home, NSW Health clearly states that while pill testing checks for the presence of particular compounds in a pill, it does not reduce the risk of overdose or the harmful impacts of other chemicals that may be in it.
The drugs themselves are inherently unsafe, even if they do not kill you. MDMA, the active chemical in ecstasy, has harmful physical and psychological effects.
This government will not fund a scheme that may well tell you or your child some of the content of a pill or the strength of a pill but cannot tell you the impact it will have on one person to the next.
This government cannot act as a quality assurer for drug dealers whose pills may kill one of our young people, whether they are tested or not.
That may sound like a hardline approach. I don't think by any means that law enforcement alone can fix our drugs scourge although recent major drug seizures show we have not given up in tackling the source of supply.
We can and already do minimise harm in NSW, such as through our needle exchange program that prevents transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C – but nowhere in NSW do we test any sort of illicit drugs for purity and content to ensure their "safe" use.
We need to approach our illicit drugs scourge in a considered, intelligent way that recognises law enforcement is only part of the answer.
Comprehensive education that starts early – well before someone has purchased a pill with the intent of taking it – is crucial.
Rehabilitation and support for families, and society owning the problem along with government is the way forward if we are to be progressive in tackling this scourge.
Last week, with Assistant Health Minister Pru Goward, I co-chaired a drugs roundtable that brought in our best minds in health, the non-government sector and law enforcement to work towards new solutions in priority areas.
On the agenda was how we can we improve pathways into treatment and prevent dangerous behaviours, how families can better support their children and loved ones into treatment, and how can we enhance the work of police and the criminal justice system to keep communities safe.
This roundtable which will meet again shortly recognises we can always improve our approaches, and the need to adapt to the ever-changing drug use environment.
It also recognises the long-term harm to health and families of drug use and the need for a strong focus on rehabilitation as well as early intervention.
This government is also working more closely with festival organisers so that they actively promote safe and drug-free festivals, and have appropriate policing resources and medical staff on site.
We all have a shared responsibility for ensuring the welfare of our kids – there is no simple solution, so let's treat this as the complex challenge it is.
Troy Grant is the NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Justice and Police.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/head-20160223-gn20tj#ixzz41Iz2yBDT
