• Heroin made life bearable – at the same time as it nearly killed me

    Trauma, mental ill-health, housing insecurity, poverty and so on are not the fault of the individual in a society increasingly aware of how many people are left behind and ignored in the minority’s pursuit of wealth. They do increase the attraction of drugs that can numb the severity of bitter reality. […]

  • ‘Record seizure’ headlines mark another false step in misguided war on drugs

    Pursuing these same, tired war-on-drugs strategies might seem like a show of strength. But it will take real courage for politicians to acknowledge the need for a new approach. In the meantime, let’s take claims about the value of drug seizures with a grain of salt. […]

  • Richmond’s heroin problem has gone from tragic to absurd

    Thirty-four people died in my neighbourhood last year from overdoses that might have been avoided by providing drug users with a place that is carefully monitored by staff and social workers so they can inject with sterile equipment and dispose of needles safely instead of accidental overdoses occurring and syringes ending up in our streets. […]

  • South Africa High Court Just Legalized Private Cannabis Use

    In a landmark ruling this morning, the Western Cape High Court in South Africa ruled that keeping weed illegal is unconstitutional. The decision marks a significant change in South Africa’s cannabis laws, effectively legalizing private cannabis use. […]

  • Why it’s important to just say no to bad drug policy

    We should just say no to antiquated, ineffective and regressive strategies and policies for drug misuse prevention, and to demonizing complicated behaviors that are often initiated out of trauma, for capital gains in the prison system. Sessions, it seems, wants to further stigmatize and criminalize trauma. To this, I just say no. […]

  • Aussie Think-Tank Proposes to End the “War on Drugs”

    A powerful Think-tank – Australia 21 – which consists out of former police deputies, college professors, and backed by former prime ministers from both sides of the Australian aisle, brainstormed on how to approach their drug problem. As reported by The Guardian, the former Labor Premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr, and the former Liberal Victoria premier, Jeff Kennett, launched…

  • Drug Decriminalization Conversation Ramps Up In Australia

    Mick Palmer spent decades locking up drug users, first as a policeman and eventually as the head of the Australian Federal Police. Now, Palmer—along with other law enforcement officers and politicians—is calling for the widespread decriminalization of drugs in Australia in order to turn the tide against a drug enforcement policy that has been shown not to work. […]

  • Can Australia respond to drugs more effectively and safely?

    Roundtable report of law enforcement and other practitioners, researchers and advocates. Sydney, September 2015 […]

  • Reducing drug harm through decriminalisation and regulation makes good sense

    The case for a fundamental change in Australia’s drug strategy has been rendered even more compelling by the release of a report by some of the nation’s most well-informed people about a policy failure that continues to cause countless unnecessary deaths. […]

  • Former premiers and Australian police chiefs call for drug decriminalisation

    The report, entitled “Can Australia respond to drugs more effectively and safely?”, makes 13 recommendations around minimising drug-related harm and the burden on the criminal justice system. Among them are reducing and, where possible, eliminating penalties for possession and use; expanding health and social assistance for young people struggling with drug addiction; and undermining the black market with a regulated “white”…