News
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End of the war on drugs? Victorian government told to consider cannabis decriminalisation
Labor’s MP Geoff Howard, insisted a move away from the ‘war on drugs’ did not mean going soft on crime. “Rather, it emphasises that law enforcement responses to illicit drug use should focus on trafficking and criminal behaviour arising from use, while people apprehended solely for use and personal possession…
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HRA & ADF Media Release on Victorian Parliamentary Report into Drug Law Reform
ADF HRA Media Release 270318 […]
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Study Finds Stiffer Prison Terms Don’t Deter Drug Use
A new, 50-state study finds that putting more people in jail for drug offenses doesn’t reduce drug use or overdose deaths. Jake Horowitz, director of research and policy at Pew Charitable Trusts’ Public Safety Performance Project, said they compared states’ drug imprisonment rates to rates of drug use, overdose death…
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Call to end jail time for drug addicts
A pre-eminent group of health and social service providers are calling for all Australian governments to decriminalise drug use and to treat it primarily as a health and social issue. The group, comprising doctors, academics, sociologists, criminologists and social service providers want to see drug laws reformed to remove penalties…
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ACT must show leadership in pill testing debate
After a disappointing false start last year, the time has come for the ACT to break new ground by holding Australia’s first pill testing trial. It is an opportunity for the territory to earn its reputation as a forward-thinking jurisdiction while displaying leadership on a nationally-relevant issue. […]
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War on drugs has failed – Helen Clark
At a conference on drugs at NZ Parliament today, Ms Clark, who is a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, said the global war on drugs had failed, with devastating consequences for individuals. Ms Clark said the proposed synthetic cannabis law change was more of the same. “That…
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Groovin the Moo pill-testing trial given the thumbs up by university
The University of Canberra has paved the way for a pill-testing trial to take place at next month’s Groovin the Moo festival. A spokeswoman for the university confirmed it was supportive of the trial. “The University of Canberra is open to supporting a pill-testing trial at a festival held on…
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NZ: Cannabis should be decriminalised and taxed to pay for synthetics and meth treatment, says justice advocate
Decriminalisation and proper regulation of sale would mean cannabis could be enjoyed responsibly without users being exposed to criminal sanction, which would also keep it away from children and make health care readily available to those who are affected by addiction or other related health issues. […]
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US:The Misplaced Attacks on Legal Cannabis Continue
Legalization advocates have long speculated that the crackdown on pot is merely an attempt to squelch any competition, and that “Big Pharma” is working behind the scenes to maintain cannabis prohibition. Meanwhile, the classification of substances as conducted by the DEA has been based on a minimal understanding of chemistry…
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NZ: Homegrown festival warned of dangerous fake ecstasy drug
Testing was the best way to helps save lives, the Drug Foundation’s Samuel Andrews said. “We need the government to step up to enable this to happen and that’s where the ball lies for going forward.” He said the testing usually took between 10 to 15 minutes and during that…