Drug Law Reform

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Speakers - Vaughan The Hon Bryan
Business - Adjournment

DRUG LAW REFORM

The Hon. B. H. VAUGHAN [10.04 p.m.]: I am inspired by Ann Symonds to make these few remarks. I draw the attention of the community to remarks made recently by the new Director-General of Community Services, who is reported as having said that the ever-increasing number of children abused and neglected in New South Wales is due to the ever-increasing incidence of drug consumption in the State. I speak as a member of the Australian parliamentary drug reform support group. I remind honourable members that women, who feel more deeply about this sort of thing than men, inspired the United States Government to introduce prohibition in that country. They did so because of the effect of drink upon their children at that time, the neglect and abuse of children, and, apart from anything else, the neglect and abuse of wives that was occasioned by alcohol.

Strangely enough, some years later the same group of women, but this time joined by many more - many of whom belonged to the most elite segment of society - brought about the repeal of prohibition. Those women, as I saw in an interesting documentary on SBS in recent times, considered that the effect of prohibition was far worse than the availability of alcohol. The director of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research and the police commissioner have referred to the effect of neglect and abuse of children arising out of drug abuse. On 23 May the Australian Drug Reform Foundation will hold a conference in Canberra. That foundation will put before its members the following 10 points for discussion and, if carried, implementation:

1. Treat drug use and drug users as a health, not a law enforcement problem.

2. Fund and expand evidence-based practice: defund and contract interventions unsupported by evidence. Maintain illicit drug government expenditure at about current levels, spending 80 per cent on prevention and treatment and 20 per cent on law enforcement.

3. Provide well-funded, research-based drug education for the community and schools, run by education and health professionals without political interference.

4. Maintain current penalties for unauthorised, large-scale (defined) cultivation, production, transport, sale and possession of all illicit drugs.

5. Repeal penalties for small-scale (defined) cannabis cultivation, sale and possession.

6. Repeal penalties for small-scale (defined) possession, sale and administration of heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and other (listed) drugs.

7. Regulate and tax outlets for cannabis sale and licence and tax production of cannabis.

8. Expand drug treatment and needle exchange to meet demand, establish injecting rooms where needed and accepted by the local community.

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9. Divert selected, non-violent persons arrested for minor drug-related crimes to non-custodial sentencing options such as combination of compulsory drug treatment and community service orders.

10. Evaluate rigorously medical prescription of heroin.

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