News
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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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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. […]
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Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Introduced By Sen. Chuck Schumer
New York Senator Chuck Schumer introduced a new bill to regulate marijuana at the federal level. The bill isn’t aimed at legalizing the drug but the proposal would decriminalize it. “The time to decriminalize marijuana is now,” Sen. Schumer said in a press statement. “The new Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity…
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The Loop is saving lives at UK festivals with its innovative harm reduction initiative
After the recent tragic deaths of two people at Mutiny Festival in Portsmouth, the issue of drug safety testing has been thrust into the spotlight once again. DJ Mag talks to Fiona Measham, founder of The Loop harm reduction organisation, about the work that they do and why some pill…
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Drugs found in fewer than 15 per cent of sniffer dog searches in South Australia
Drugs have been found on fewer than 15 per cent of South Australians searched after sniffer dogs or electronic tests indicated they were carrying drugs, prompting questions about the legality of the search dogs being used in public areas. RMIT criminologist Peta Malins said the low return on the positive…
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Policing illicit drugs—big hauls are easily replaced
While I personally support the decriminalisation of the use of drugs by addicts, and the possession of these drugs for personal use, that too will not resolve the organised crime challenge. It will, however, help relieve the pressure on criminal justice systems from prosecutions of minor drug possession offences. […]
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People Are Pissed Off After South Australia Announced It Was Going To Ramp Up Its War On Drugs
Outrage and criticism brewed overnight as South Australians and experts responded to the news that the state’s new Liberal government would be ramping up its war on drugs — starting with cannabis. […]
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Harsher Penalties Could Really Hurt SA Medical Cannabis Patients
The South Australian Government wants to quadruple penalties for marijuana possession, a move that could seriously impact users of medical cannabis. South Australia decriminalised possession of small amounts of marijuana decades ago. However, Attorney General Vickie Chapman says the government is seeking to bring cannabis penalties into line with other…
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South Australia’s ‘counter-productive’ cannabis crackdown likely to be defeated
The South Australian government’s plan to introduce jail sentences for people caught in possession of cannabis faces defeat in the state’s parliament after Labor and upper house crossbenchers signalled their opposition to the bill. […]
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South Australia’s cannabis crackdown based on ‘nonsense’, experts warn
Alex Wodak from the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation said Chapman’s attempts to link cannabis use to murder were “nonsense”. Wodak said the policy shift “goes against everything we know” about reducing drug use harm and warned that SA risked falling “completely out of step” with the rest of the…