Message from John Kaye, recently
elected Greens member of the NSW parliament (Upper House).
Mardi Grass is an excellent opportunity to reflect
on the need for drugs policy that is based on evidence, not
prejudice.
Increased funding for rehabilitation for users of
methamphetamine ("ice") is a sensible response to
the growing social and health impacts of this drug.
Cynical manipulation of the community's fear of drugs
by Christian Democratic party leader Fred Nile and the Daily
Telegraph has done much to set back drug law reform.
The Greens remain convinced that drugs policy needs
to be based on the principles of harm minimisation. There
is little evidence to support the argument that spending money
on sniffer dogs in railway stations and helicopters harassing
local landowners will reduce the damage done by drugs.
The task ahead of us is to remove the hysteria from
the debate and to restore the important principles of protecting
civil rights and reducing the damage done to society and individuals
by poorly thought out drugs policy.
Until we create a widespread understanding that prohibition
is an expensive and dangerous failure, Australian society
will continue to pay the price. While many experts and politicians
now understand that a "war on drugs" cannot be won,
there has been a remarkable inability to translate that understanding
into sound policy.
Cannabis laws in particular remain badly out of kilter
with the evidence. International experience of removing criminal
sanctions for possession for personal use and growing a small
number of plants makes it clear that there is nothing to be
gained by victimising pot users. Continued prohibition on
medical cannabis denies useful treatment options to many people
with chronic illness. Restrictions on industrial hemp are
not only completely irrational but also have appalling environmental
consequences.
There is clearly much to be done to reform drug laws.
The Greens are committed to exploring new, more effective
approaches that treat drug use as a health and social issue.
And to ensure that civil liberties are not sacrificed to 'tough
on drugs' hysteria.
On behalf of The Greens, I wish you a happy and safe
Mardi Grass.
