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NZ: Former detective Al Lester, top lawyer Nigel Hampton call to decriminalise all drugs
Former detective sergeant Al Lester said making drugs legal would take the power away from criminals who make huge amounts of money from the trade – and stop those committing offences to fund drug habits. […]
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Mandatory drug treatment “punitive”: Children’s Commissioner
South Australia’s Commissioner for Children and Young People has labelled the Liberal Government’s plan to introduce mandatory drug treatment for children as a “punitive” approach that breaches young people’s rights. […]
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A tale of two stories on Melbourne’s injecting room
There are now close to 100 safe injecting facilities across the world. We know that safe injecting facilities work to reduce harms and deaths, and to improve access to treatment for people who use drugs. They also reduce the spread of blood borne viruses and reduce community exposure to people injecting. […]
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UK: Police commissioners urge Home Office to drop opposition to addicts’ ‘fix rooms’
There are renewed calls for the UK government to allow the opening of a drug consumption room in Glasgow after three police and crime commissioners backed the idea as a way of saving lives. The elected commissioners for Durham, North Wales and West Midlands said they were “deeply concerned” about the Home Office’s opposition to the use of drug consumption…
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Duterte is Assassinating Opponents Under the Cover of the Drug War, Philippine Rights Groups Say
Strongmen in the Philippines have long used assassination to retain control of their territories, according to HRW’s Conde. The difference now is that Duterte has normalized such killings by packaging them as part of the “war on drugs.” The fear they have created is quickly eroding opposition. […]
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’12 lives saved’ in Richmond safe drug injecting room’s first week
Melbourne’s new safe injecting room has saved 12 drug users’ lives and received 400 visits since it opened on Saturday, its director says. Dr Nico Clarke said the Richmond North centre, which is having a two-year trial, had prevented between one and three potentially fatal overdoses every day. […]
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Most Australians support decriminalising cannabis, but our laws lag behind
The latest NDSH survey from 2016 found 73.9% of Australians do not support the possession of cannabis being a criminal offence. When asked how cannabis possession should be dealt with by the courts, 46.6% of Australians reported they would prefer either “a caution, warning or no action”, while 27% said users should be referred “to treatment or an education program”…
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Victorian government rejects criticism of drug-injecting room saying it is saving lives
The Victorian government has hit back at claims Melbourne’s medically supervised drug-injecting room is a failure, with the centre’s director saying staff intervened during 12 overdoses since it opened less than a week ago. […]
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Addicted? review: Matt Noffs’ & Kieran Palmer’s brave approach to the problems
While addiction can be harmful and suck away our spirit, it need not be an eternal shackle. It is a part of our biology and our being, but its destructiveness can be minimised and managed.” […]
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Brooklyn Judge Vows Not to Send People Back to Prison for Smoking Marijuana
Noting that marijuana has become increasingly accepted by society, a federal judge in Brooklyn made an unusual promise on Thursday: He pledged he would no longer reimprison people simply for smoking pot. […]
