News
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Now that the ACT has given marijuana the green light, could (and should) MDMA be next?
Is regulating ecstasy the next logical step after pill testing and decriminalisation? Alex Wodak thinks it is. Dr Wodak, who is president of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, has been advocating for drug law reform for decades. In collaboration with Gino Vumbaca and Kate Dolan, Dr Wodak introduced needle…
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Wodak & Shoebridge on Scipione’s Talk of Drug Law Reform
Former AFP commissioner Mick Palmer is renowned for asserting that Australia can’t arrest its way out of the drug problem. And he’s not the only ex-top brass turned drug law reformist. There’s once NSW police commissioner Ken Moroney, as well as ex-Tasmania police commissioner Jack Johnston. And now, former NSW police commissioner…
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Former NT Police Commissioner backs ACT on legal cannabis
Former NT Police Commissioner Mick Palmer AO has welcomed the “courageous decision” by the ACT parliament to pass a bill legalising cannabis possession for personal use. Mr Palmer, who also served as Australian Federal Police Commissioner until 2001, said the laws would “put control into a completely uncontrolled environment”. “It’s…
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ACT legalises personal cannabis use, becoming first Australian jurisdiction to do so
The ACT has become the first Australian jurisdiction to legalise the possession, use and cultivation of small amounts of cannabis. The laws passed the ACT Legislative Assembly this afternoon, allowing possession of up to 50 grams per person and a maximum of four plants per household. […]
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Port Phillip Council renews pill testing trial call
With the music festival season about to start, the City of Port Phillip is renewing its call to be home to Victoria’s first pill testing trial. “In 2017, our Council asked the Victorian Government to immediately legislate to allow and fund pilot pill testing facilities at ‘consenting clubs, festivals and…
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Enough evidence to support introduction of pill testing in NSW, inquiry told
A world expert on drug policy has told an inquiry into the drug ice and other amphetamines, including MDMA (ecstasy), that there is “sufficient evidence” overseas and in Australia to support the introduction of drug or pill testing in NSW. Professor Alison Ritter called for a trial of pill testing…
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Festivals fuel Vic pill testing appeal
Victorian upper house MP Fiona Patten has issued an appeal for pill testing on the cusp of the music festival season, with the Listen Out event running in St Kilda this weekend. “We are crying out and calling on the government to prevent any lives from being lost,” the Reason…
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Former Police Commissioner: Weaker Alternatives To Pill Testing Will Not Curb Festival Deaths
Empowering people to make fully-informed decisions about drugs is a central tenetof proper pill testing. It puts young punters first. It provides them with the incentive to get their drugs tested before making the decision to consume them. This not only empowers them to make better decisions, it also reduces the likelihood…
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Pill testers working on plans for static drug-checking sites
Canberra emergency department physician, Dr David Caldicott revealed the group was developing a proposal for a testing service at a fixed location. “We’re already working on static sites. I can’t tell you where, it’s top secret. But needless to say there are people in this room who are involved,” Dr…
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He was the top cop in NSW and couldn’t help a friend in a drug crisis
Former NSW police commissioner Andrew Scipione says the system of dealing with people using drugs isn’t working, and has supported measures that give police the discretion to issue cautions or infringement notices. He told a roundtable on decriminalisation of amphetamine-type substances that NSW had failed to stop people from experimenting…