Page 2108 - Week 07 - Thursday, 20 August 2020
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(a) implementing the actions outlined in the ACT Government’s Drug Strategy Action Plan 2018-2021;
(b) the passage and implementation of the Drugs of Dependence (Personal Cannabis Use) Amendment Act 2019, allowing for the possession and personal use of small amounts of cannabis;
(c) the development of a Festival Pill Testing policy following the pilot of festival pill testing in 2018 and 2019 at the Groovin’ the Moo festival; and
(d) the release of an independent evaluation by the Australian National University Medical School in December 2019 showing pill testing was an overwhelming success in providing “effective, relevant and good health information to people who plan to use illicit drugs” and encouraged users to discard tainted pills, potentially saving lives;
(2) recognises the challenge of co-occurring mental illness and alcohol and other drug use, particularly for young people and people with a trauma background; and
(3) calls on the ACT Government, and whichever party or parties in the Assembly that form government following the October 2020 election, to:
(a) continue to take a harm minimisation approach to alcohol and other drug issues;
(b) continue to invest in community and hospital-based alcohol and other drug and mental health services;
(c) work to better integrate mental health and drug and alcohol services across primary health, community-based services, and acute hospital care;
(d) investigate the feasibility of a simple offence notice for other drugs of dependence to ascertain the legal, social and health impacts; and
(e) report to the Assembly no later than November 2021 on progress.
I rise today to call on the ACT government to continue implementing a harm minimisation approach to drugs of dependence. A simple drug offence notice is a common-sense step forward that will continue the territory’s standing as a nation leader in forward-looking drug policy. It is time for further changes to our drugs of dependence legislation to make sure that this government continues to put the health and wellbeing of all Canberrans first.
Since the recent amendment to the Drugs of Dependence Act there has been widespread community support for further sensible reform of our drug laws. When you look at community views on drug use it is pretty clear that our current laws do not align with community values. Just look at the national drugs strategy household survey 2019. Overwhelmingly people want to see drug users either given a warning, referred to treatment or education programs, or given a fine. When it comes to ecstasy, 80.2 per cent of people support this course of action. When it comes to heroin, 70.8 per cent of people want to see this happen. When it comes to meth, it is still 68.1 per cent.
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