The Greens have made a radical change to their drugs policy which leader Richard Di Natale hopes will reignite the decriminalisation debate and pave the way for the legalisation of recreational drugs like cannabis. […]

Building on current partial decriminalization models that have helped to achieve more effective drug policies and positive outcomes, with a greater emphasis on justice, dignity and human rights, this report advocates ending all penalties – both civil and criminal – on people who use drugs. […]

Harm Reduction Australia’s president Gino Vumbaca explained how comprehensive clinical testing labs are a far more trustworthy alternative to reagent kits. These labs allow patrons to receive expert advice and chemical analysis of the pills they’re taking. The results are much more detailed and foolproof than those provided by DIY kits, which can detect active ingredients but not their dosage.…

Thousands of free pill-testing kits will flood Sydney’s music festivals this summer amid an ongoing row between the NSW government and health experts over the legalities of a professionally managed harm reduction trial. […]

It will not rid Singapore of drugs. By executing people for drug-related offences, which do not meet the threshold of most serious crimes, Singapore is violating international law,” said Amnesty International’s Rafendi Djamin. […]

Nick Clegg and Baroness Molly Meacher say the UK’s drug policy has been irrational for 55 years. […]

The GDS team aims to help people and communities reduce the harm associated with drug use by sharing credible information. […]

“Behind these numbers remains a landscape of political neglect where harm reduction advocates and people who use drugs are struggling to fill the gap governments are leaving behind,” write the report’s authors. “Civil society is relied upon to deliver services, gather data, advocate for funding and fight for the rights of people who use drugs. […]

“In the absence of a better system, people will use the systems that are available,” said NDARC researcher and Bluelight administrator Monica Barratt. “People are using drugs, and the internet is not going away,” Dr Barratt said. “We believe we need to change the way we approach drugs and talk about the best ways of dealing with these issues.” […]

Doctors and their leaders have ethical responsibilities to champion individual and public health, human rights, and dignity and to speak out where health and humanity are being systemically degraded. Change is coming, and doctors should use their authority to lead calls for pragmatic reform informed by science and ethics. […]