Canada has become the second country after Uruguay to legalise possession and use of recreational cannabis. Medical marijuana has been legal in the country since 2001. […]

“If we could just start treating drugs as a health problem not a criminal problem it’s just blindingly obvious that you’re going to start getting on top of the problem,” Sir Richard said. “If it can work in Portugal it can work in pretty much any country in the world.” […]

Health Minister David Clark said the coalition Government was dealing with drug use as a health and harm reduction issue. “In light of this, I’ve had initial discussions with the Justice Minister about ‘drug checking’ services. “Through him, I’ve asked for advice on the legislative and criminal justice issues around such services.” […]

On Friday, 12 October, Sir Richard Branson will officially launch a new Uniting Church campaign, calling on governments to reform Australia’s drug legislation to reflect a harm minimisation approach. The grassroots campaign calls for the decriminalisation of small amounts of currently illegal substances for personal use. The call has been spearheaded by the NSW and ACT Synod of the Uniting Church…

Senator David Leyonhjelm attended the Uniting Church’s drug summit in Sydney today, reinforcing the Liberal Democrats’ longstanding policy of decriminalising recreational drug use in Australia. “I believe we have reached a level of maturity in this country where we can move beyond policies based on fear or disapproval and embrace an evidence-based medical and harm-minimisation strategy, as sophisticated societies have…

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson will today declare the war on drugs has failed, urging Australia to return to its pioneering role in drug treatment that began with the medically supervised injecting centre in Sydney’s Kings Cross. “We live in a drug-taking world. We cannot change that, and we need to be sensible and pragmatic about how we respond,” Sir…

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson will today declare the war on drugs has failed, urging Australia to return to its pioneering role in drug treatment that began with the medically supervised injecting centre in Sydney’s Kings Cross. The billionaire who founded the Virgin Group will address the Uniting Fair Treatment campaign at Sydney’s Town Hall today as the federal government signals…

In order to save lives, we need safer consumption spaces (or better yet, call them “overdose prevention sites”) in areas where drug use and sales are concentrated; syringe exchange programs scaled to meet demand; and increased access to supplies like fentanyl-checking test strips. […]

The sky “did not fall in” after a decision to decriminalise drugs for personal use in Portugal, according to the vice-president of the health commission that deals with the issue in Lisbon. On Monday, a report from the Ana Liffey drug project recommended that Ireland decriminalise drugs in quantities for personal use. […]

Mr Rattenbury said he was not trying to “capitalise on the misfortune” of the Defqon deaths “We should seek to embrace an event like this for the opportunities it would bring to Canberra but also be really conscious of the risks that are involved in it and work as earnestly and as diligently as we can to minimise those risks,” Mr Rattenbury…