Page 454 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019
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MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (11.22): The Greens support this bill in principle. We support the intent of the bill to move away from a law and order approach to drug use and instead treat drug possession and personal use as a health issue. We think there are some areas where the bill can be improved, and that is why we will be proposing a number of amendments in the next phase of this debate. I understand we will not be moving to the detail stage today, to give time for all amendments to be developed and scrutinised, and we support that approach.
The Greens recognise that the move towards drug decriminalisation and legalisation is a significant shift for the ACT community, for our health services and for ACT Policing. But it is an important shift and one that we should not shy away from. There is now a significant body of evidence that shows that the law and order approach to drug use is not working, and people are dying because of it.
Last week we had a debate in this place on the importance of harm minimisation, and many of the same issues apply to this discussion. As I said last week, we need to take a new approach to drug policy, one that prioritises keeping people safe, alive and healthy, rather than punishing them. There is a body of international evidence and experience showing that there are more effective ways of dealing with psychoactive drug use, with less serious adverse effects, rather than relying on prosecuting the people who use them.
Additionally, we must acknowledge the reality that many Australians choose to use cannabis currently, despite its illegal status. Between a third and a half of the Australian population at some stage in their lives have used illicit drugs. Cannabis is readily available in Australia and continues to be the most widely used illicit drug across the country.
The most recent national drug strategy household survey found that one in eight Australians had used at least one illegal substance in the last 12 months, and one in 20 had misused a pharmaceutical drug. When examining the share of Australians using an illegal drug weekly or more often in 2016, cannabis was the most frequently used, followed by ice. The notion that by legalising cannabis we will suddenly have a flood of cannabis users ignores the fact that there are many people using this substance already. It is time that we got our heads out of the sand and, rather than pretending that this is not happening, provide better avenues for people to reduce harm and get help if and when they need it.
We know that a huge number of resources are currently being invested in the war on drugs. Some 64 per cent of Australian government expenditure on illicit drugs is directed at disrupting supply, policing and enforcement of drug laws. While this is not having a significant impact on demand or usage, the law and order approach is causing significant social harm. Findings from the illicit drug reporting system showed that in 2015-16, of the estimated two million Australians who used cannabis, almost 80,000 were arrested for possession. This represented a six per cent increase from the previous year. Of these arrests, the overwhelming majority—90 per cent—were consumers rather than suppliers. So we are seeing over 70,000 Australians a year
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