Illicit drugs: How we can stop killing and criminalising young Australians
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poledriver
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I wonder if it would, alcohol i'm not so sure on there.
poledriver
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I can't recall who bought up the point, but they were saying if pot were made legal and sold and taxed it would put so many people out of a job it would be counter-productive. They listed some jobs that would suffer and be cut right back, making some families lose income etc, like police, lawyers, some others I can't remember right now.
Busty St Clare
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I doubt they would lay off police, they would be redirected into catching burglars, armed bandits and a slew of other criminals which they are forever complaining about not having enough cops on the beat to stop, which of course would keep the lawyers in business.
I don't personally see cannabis reform being that big a cash cow. Plenty of people would simply grow it themselves and tell police they source this spliff from a dispensary.
I don't personally see cannabis reform being that big a cash cow. Plenty of people would simply grow it themselves and tell police they source this spliff from a dispensary.
spacejunk
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Prohibition is a huge industry. Urine analysis would be made pretty redundant, and police arrest quotas would be aimed in different directions. I don't know about cannabis alone, but it seems like if all drugs were made legal, a lot of people would have to find another vocation.
This is probably more of an issue in the USA than Australia though, with their enormous 'prison industrial complex'.
This is probably more of an issue in the USA than Australia though, with their enormous 'prison industrial complex'.
poledriver
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Worth looking at drug law changes: AMA NT
The Australian Medical Association's Northern Territory branch says it would consider supporting the decriminalisation of a range of drugs, if it was recommended by experts.
A group of prominent Australians has recommended decriminalising ecstasy and cannabis for people over 16.
The association's Peter Beaumont says while the Territory branch is yet to discuss the report, the decriminalisation of illicit drugs is worth considering.
"There are no people in the AMA in the Northern Territory that are experts in drug management and we would rely on suggestions from other people," he said.
"I think if the experts were able to show us that decriminalisation might cause less harm to the individuals and to society, then we'd be very looking at it very closely."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-11/worth-looking-at-drug-law-changes3a-ama-nt/4254428
The Australian Medical Association's Northern Territory branch says it would consider supporting the decriminalisation of a range of drugs, if it was recommended by experts.
A group of prominent Australians has recommended decriminalising ecstasy and cannabis for people over 16.
The association's Peter Beaumont says while the Territory branch is yet to discuss the report, the decriminalisation of illicit drugs is worth considering.
"There are no people in the AMA in the Northern Territory that are experts in drug management and we would rely on suggestions from other people," he said.
"I think if the experts were able to show us that decriminalisation might cause less harm to the individuals and to society, then we'd be very looking at it very closely."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-11/worth-looking-at-drug-law-changes3a-ama-nt/4254428
poledriver
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Expert supports legalising drugs
A NORTH Coast addictive medicine specialist has supported a report that recommends legalising cannabis and ecstasy for over 16s.
Prepared by the not-for-profit think tank group Australia21, the report suggests prohibition of illegal drugs has failed, resulting in "criminal elements" taking control of the manufacture and supply of illegal drugs without strict quality control.
Northern NSW Local Heath District's addictive medicine specialist, Dr David Helliwell and Nimbin Hemp Embassy president Michael Balderstone said they supported the report's recommendation which would see willing users recorded on a national confidential users' register and able to buy drugs from approved suppliers, likely to be pharmacists.
Both men said this was an issue of health and not criminality.
"This is the second report from this Australia21 mob, who are experts ... they are very strong about drug reform," Mr Balderstone said.
Dr Helliwell said decriminalising cannabis and ecstasy could result in strict regulation and financial benefits for government, while ensuring potency was regulated and users were kept safe.
In addition to strict regulation of the drugs, the government could put in place counselling and education programs for drug users, he said.
The reports also called for a national drug summit to be held next year, something Dr Helliwell and Mr Balderstone support.
"Politically, they are very scared of making any change in this area, despite successful programs overseas," Mr Balderstone said.
The report has also received support from Greens senator Richard Di Natale, but yesterday the Gillard Government rejected legalising cannabis and ecstasy.
A study published last month in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed links between teenage cannabis use and memory and intelligence problems in users by the time they reached middle age.
http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2012/09/11/addictive-medicine-expert-drug-advocate-support-re/
A NORTH Coast addictive medicine specialist has supported a report that recommends legalising cannabis and ecstasy for over 16s.
Prepared by the not-for-profit think tank group Australia21, the report suggests prohibition of illegal drugs has failed, resulting in "criminal elements" taking control of the manufacture and supply of illegal drugs without strict quality control.
Northern NSW Local Heath District's addictive medicine specialist, Dr David Helliwell and Nimbin Hemp Embassy president Michael Balderstone said they supported the report's recommendation which would see willing users recorded on a national confidential users' register and able to buy drugs from approved suppliers, likely to be pharmacists.
Both men said this was an issue of health and not criminality.
"This is the second report from this Australia21 mob, who are experts ... they are very strong about drug reform," Mr Balderstone said.
Dr Helliwell said decriminalising cannabis and ecstasy could result in strict regulation and financial benefits for government, while ensuring potency was regulated and users were kept safe.
In addition to strict regulation of the drugs, the government could put in place counselling and education programs for drug users, he said.
The reports also called for a national drug summit to be held next year, something Dr Helliwell and Mr Balderstone support.
"Politically, they are very scared of making any change in this area, despite successful programs overseas," Mr Balderstone said.
The report has also received support from Greens senator Richard Di Natale, but yesterday the Gillard Government rejected legalising cannabis and ecstasy.
A study published last month in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed links between teenage cannabis use and memory and intelligence problems in users by the time they reached middle age.
http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2012/09/11/addictive-medicine-expert-drug-advocate-support-re/
poledriver
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Dobbing mothers unite for drug reform
Parenthood has made Lisa Pryor more certain our drug laws need to be reformed. When a child gets in trouble with drugs, help is a lot more effective than a criminal record.
"Surely having children of your own has made you think twice about decriminalising drugs?" This is a question I get asked a lot, as someone who advocates for drug law reform while being the mother of two young munchkins.
The implication is that your views should change once you become an upstanding and responsible parent whose drug of choice is caffeine, and whose social life revolves around rhyme time at the local library. As if parenthood should soften you with regard to your own flesh and blood, while hardening you towards the rest of the world, especially towards illicit drug users.
My answer to this question is "no, quite the opposite". Having responsibility for young children who will one day be young adults has made me more certain that our drug laws must be reformed and I'd like to explain why.
As a parent I would love to see Australia adopt the model of decriminalisation which has been working so well in Portugal for more than 10 years now.
Let me tell you a little bit about how it works. In July 2001 Portugal abolished all criminal penalties for using and possessing small quantities of drugs. When the police catch someone with a zip lock bag of pills or powder folded in tin foil, there are still consequences. The drug user may be required to attend a "dissuasion tribunal" where the seriousness of their habit is assessed. If the tribunal finds the person before them is an addict, they can then be referred to rehabilitation. And that's another key thing about the reforms in Portugal. They improved funding for drug treatment and made it more accessible.
What I love most about this model is that it empowers families to work with the authorities if a child gets into serious trouble with drugs, confident that they would be given help rather than a criminal record.
In other words the Portuguese system appeals to me as a dobbing mum. If a young person in my life was abusing drugs, I would feel confident working with the police to get help. This is exactly the opposite of what I would do with the system as it stands in Australia. I would never recommend a parent dob a child with a drug problem into the police as it is likely to make matters worse.
Australian parents are in a terrible bind if they feel a child is developing an addiction to illicit drugs. They may want to intervene, but most know that dobbing a child into the police is not the answer. Motivating a pot head teen to go out and get a job will be even harder if that teen has a criminal record which means they will be rejected out of hand by many employers. As for young adults who try to escape emotional difficulties by taking too many drugs, they will be haunted by even greater troubles if they are forced to spend time in prison with its accompanying traumas.
The Portuguese model is one of the alternatives to prohibition – along with the systems operating in Switzerland and the Netherlands – which is canvassed in an Australia21 report which was released on Sunday.
The report explains some of the improvements Portugal has enjoyed as a result of their bold reforms. Problematic drug use has decreased. There are fewer overdoses. Fewer injecting drug users are contracting HIV. Drug related crime has dropped too.
For these reasons and many more, parents like me support decriminalisation. This is not contradictory, nor is it new. A black and white photograph, reproduced on the back of the Australia21 report, shows just how long mothers have been fighting against prohibition. Taken in the United States in 1932, the photograph shows mothers and children campaigning against alcohol prohibition. In earnest uniforms they stand beside a car painted in slogans: "Protect our youth", "stamp out prohibition", "save our children".
The campaign to end alcohol prohibition was supported by mothers because they felt that when the trade in alcohol was pushed underground, it made it easier for young people to access alcohol. Legal saloons risked having their licences revoked if they served alcohol to the underage. But the illegal speakeasies which came with prohibition had no such qualms about underage drinking.
Alcohol prohibition was repealed the year after this photograph was taken. It is time for parents to speak out again.
Lisa Pryor is the author, journalist and former opinion page editor at The Sydney Morning Herald. View her full profile here.
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4254112.html
^ With comments at the above url.
(I hope I haven't posted this one already, it's getting confusing the amount of these articles that are coming out right now, if I have excuse me)
Parenthood has made Lisa Pryor more certain our drug laws need to be reformed. When a child gets in trouble with drugs, help is a lot more effective than a criminal record.
"Surely having children of your own has made you think twice about decriminalising drugs?" This is a question I get asked a lot, as someone who advocates for drug law reform while being the mother of two young munchkins.
The implication is that your views should change once you become an upstanding and responsible parent whose drug of choice is caffeine, and whose social life revolves around rhyme time at the local library. As if parenthood should soften you with regard to your own flesh and blood, while hardening you towards the rest of the world, especially towards illicit drug users.
My answer to this question is "no, quite the opposite". Having responsibility for young children who will one day be young adults has made me more certain that our drug laws must be reformed and I'd like to explain why.
As a parent I would love to see Australia adopt the model of decriminalisation which has been working so well in Portugal for more than 10 years now.
Let me tell you a little bit about how it works. In July 2001 Portugal abolished all criminal penalties for using and possessing small quantities of drugs. When the police catch someone with a zip lock bag of pills or powder folded in tin foil, there are still consequences. The drug user may be required to attend a "dissuasion tribunal" where the seriousness of their habit is assessed. If the tribunal finds the person before them is an addict, they can then be referred to rehabilitation. And that's another key thing about the reforms in Portugal. They improved funding for drug treatment and made it more accessible.
What I love most about this model is that it empowers families to work with the authorities if a child gets into serious trouble with drugs, confident that they would be given help rather than a criminal record.
In other words the Portuguese system appeals to me as a dobbing mum. If a young person in my life was abusing drugs, I would feel confident working with the police to get help. This is exactly the opposite of what I would do with the system as it stands in Australia. I would never recommend a parent dob a child with a drug problem into the police as it is likely to make matters worse.
Australian parents are in a terrible bind if they feel a child is developing an addiction to illicit drugs. They may want to intervene, but most know that dobbing a child into the police is not the answer. Motivating a pot head teen to go out and get a job will be even harder if that teen has a criminal record which means they will be rejected out of hand by many employers. As for young adults who try to escape emotional difficulties by taking too many drugs, they will be haunted by even greater troubles if they are forced to spend time in prison with its accompanying traumas.
The Portuguese model is one of the alternatives to prohibition – along with the systems operating in Switzerland and the Netherlands – which is canvassed in an Australia21 report which was released on Sunday.
The report explains some of the improvements Portugal has enjoyed as a result of their bold reforms. Problematic drug use has decreased. There are fewer overdoses. Fewer injecting drug users are contracting HIV. Drug related crime has dropped too.
For these reasons and many more, parents like me support decriminalisation. This is not contradictory, nor is it new. A black and white photograph, reproduced on the back of the Australia21 report, shows just how long mothers have been fighting against prohibition. Taken in the United States in 1932, the photograph shows mothers and children campaigning against alcohol prohibition. In earnest uniforms they stand beside a car painted in slogans: "Protect our youth", "stamp out prohibition", "save our children".
The campaign to end alcohol prohibition was supported by mothers because they felt that when the trade in alcohol was pushed underground, it made it easier for young people to access alcohol. Legal saloons risked having their licences revoked if they served alcohol to the underage. But the illegal speakeasies which came with prohibition had no such qualms about underage drinking.
Alcohol prohibition was repealed the year after this photograph was taken. It is time for parents to speak out again.
Lisa Pryor is the author, journalist and former opinion page editor at The Sydney Morning Herald. View her full profile here.
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4254112.html
^ With comments at the above url.
(I hope I haven't posted this one already, it's getting confusing the amount of these articles that are coming out right now, if I have excuse me)
Busty St Clare
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How many urine analysis employees would we have in Australia? 1000? BHP laid off more workers than that in Queensland this week so I don't see a huge spike in the unemployment rate because of it. If anything more industries would employ testers because even if it is legal there are plenty of employers who would still sack workers for being under the influence.
spacejunk
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^ I would hope that the attitudes of people in the community would evolve too.
Smoking cannabis a week ago does not prevent me from doing my job properly, but under our current legal system, its evidence you've broken the law.
I would hope that people would be less persecuted for using this herb under a more lenient legal system - not more.
Smoking cannabis a week ago does not prevent me from doing my job properly, but under our current legal system, its evidence you've broken the law.
I would hope that people would be less persecuted for using this herb under a more lenient legal system - not more.
Busty St Clare
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Transport workers, doctors, airline pilots, miners, even cab drivers would be just a few organizations who would argue, rightly or wrongly, differently.
Busty St Clare
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Doctors are not allowed to practice if they are Hep C or HIV positive. Any other profession and I'm sure it would be classed as discriminatory but when it comes to public health and safety there are no such things.
Busty St Clare
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They would fall under transport workers. You might get Joe Blow, City Route 582 not needing to be tested but you can bet your last dollar if they are driving a school bus they will need to pass a "Green card".
Divine Moments
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I think Busty is right that employers (at least in a number of fields) would be within their rights to discipline or dismiss those who test positive. It would probably be viewed in a similar vein to having alcohol in your system while working - I doubt the argument that tests remain positive for longer than the drug is active would hold much weight until they develop cheap and easily administered tests that don't have that problem. I think it's quite reasonable too; when testing workers who would put others in significant danger by being intoxicated (myself included) I would much prefer to err on the side of caution. Personal liberties don't completely trump public safety.
poledriver
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Do they get tested for alcohol and or drugs when they are working?
I dont really understand what you guys are conversing about, but it doesn't seem like it's that much to do with what this thread is about anymore.
Divine Moments
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Doctors aren't usually subject to routine/random drug tests, no.
Our discussion is entirely relevant. The article is about the decriminalisation of some drugs and we are discussing the fallout from that, surrounding testing in the workplace and how this would change if the laws changed.