The Fair Treatment campaign, led by Uniting NSW and ACT, will be launched in part by entrepreneur and global drug reform advocate Richard Branson in Sydney on 12 October. “Meaningful drug policy reform, for the fair treatment of all people, will only come through a courageous movement of people intent on forging a new path for people affected by drug…

After a strong stance against pill testing at music festivals, the New Zealand government might have softened up in time for this summer’s events. Health minister David Clark revealed to the weekend’s Herald on Sunday, “This government is dealing with drug use as a health and harm reduction issue. “In light of this, I’ve had initial discussions with the Justice minister…

There is still a long road ahead before drugs, starting with the less harmful ones, are legally regulated. Implementation will have to be incremental, careful, and continuously and independently evaluated. Yet it is time to begin the journey towards new policies that will bring together in a coherent manner, responsible management of drug related risks by governments and better individual…

Pill testing could be expanded beyond festival-goers in the ACT and offered every Friday and Saturday night in Civic, ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury has proposed. […]

The Greens are continuing their attack on the police’s drug dog program, as the party takes its ‘Sniff Off’ campaign to this weekend’s Yours and Owls music festival. […]

This new report provides a practical roadmap that tackles the real implications and recognizes the difficulties of transitioning from illegal to legally regulated drug markets. It offers concrete answers regarding the organizational capacity of state institutions to regulate and control a legal market of potentially dangerous products. It highlights the challenges facing impoverished populations that constitute the “working class” of…

The world need not leave global drug policy to the tender mercies of Donald Trump. In fact, it would be better off listening to one of the men who will address the Monday meeting: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. As president of Portugal, Guterres oversaw that country’s groundbreaking decriminalization of drug use and possession in 2001. […]

The NCA’s willingness to potentially endanger the health and well-being of the community it supposedly serves is a betrayal of trust. The federal government’s complicity in allowing such a decision to stand, without evening engaging the medical and health professionals providing the pill-testing service, speaks to the lack of due diligence, perhaps even cowardice, in the decision-making process. […]

Palmer has come out firing at the government and Premier in particular saying “My mind boggles at the thought that a government is not even prepared to start a trial of pill testing. Clearly she and other state premiers opposing the idea do not have the courage to say what we’ve got now is not working.” […]

Representatives from the music industry, policing, and drug and harm minimisation experts were present at the talks to discuss how to keep people safe at festivals. […]