The Take Control campaign for safer, saner drug laws and drug treatment experts from the Ted Noffs Foundation are calling for the NSW Government to heed the advice of the recent special commission and remove criminal sanctions for personal drug use if it is serious about reducing drug use.
Take Control spokesperson and Acting CEO of the Ted Noffs Foundation Mark Ferry says the cabinet should back the proposal reported to have been brought from Attorney-General Mark Speakman because it will help reduce drug use, reduce crime and make NSW safer.
“The only way to be tough on drugs is to accept that it’s a health issue. The proposal to remove criminal penalties for personal use will make it easier for people to get help and make NSW safer in the process.
“Political leaders who cling to a misguided ‘crackdown’ approach do so at the expense of mountains of evidence and the safety of young people in NSW. Such laws do not reduce drug use and actively cause harm in the community.
“It’s time for the NSW Government to accept the mountains of work, evidence, and research delivered by the recent special commission. It cannot be allowed to gather dust because politicians do not want to appear ‘soft on drugs’,” says Mr Ferry.
“The only way to curb drug use is to make treatment accessible and encourage people to seek help. Our current drug laws disincentivise this in every way, and tragically many have died as a result.
“The evidence could not be clearer about what we have to do. The government simply must step up on this issue, or further devastation caused by the ‘war on drugs’ will be on their watch.”
Former Police Commissioner and Take Control spokesperson Mick Palmer says “As a serving police officer for many decades, I can attest that there is nothing soft about reforming our drug laws to be more effective and adopting a harm minimisation approach.
“I have seen firsthand what it means to be ‘tough on drugs’. Most police officers do not want to destroy people’s lives for simply using drugs, but that is the inevitable outcome of laws that are designed to punish people rather than protecting them.
“To tackle drug use will take real political courage. I urge the NSW Government to find theirs, or use of harmful drugs will continue to grow.”
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