Drug prohibition: moving to Plan B

10 Sep 2012, 2:00 pm   -   Source: The Conversation
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The Conversation

A new expert report on drug prohibition has been released, calling for a redefinition of how we deal with drugs.

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By Alex Wodak, St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst

Australia21, of which I am one of the directors, has released its second report on drug prohibition. The report calls for a redefinition of how we deal with drugs to primarily a health and social problem.

Our first drug report, released in April, concluded that the war-on-drugs approach had failed comprehensively. It provoked a vigorous media response in which few commentators challenged the notion that heavy reliance on drug law enforcement had failed.

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We invited prominent Australians who support a hardline approach to attend a meeting but all those approached declined. When someone of the stature of Mick Palmer, former commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, acknowledges that despite improvements in drug law enforcement, there has been little impact on the drug market, the debate has entered a new stage.

This second report builds on the conclusions of the first one, attempting to provoke a national discussion about what our best options might be. There are several reasons why this discussion is now different from previous debates about drug policy.

Winds of change in the Americas

Vigorous debates about drug policy are now taking place in Europe and the Americas. The murder of 50,000 Mexicans since President Felipe Calderon declared a war on drugs in December 2006 has brought that country to a precipice. Two previous Mexican presidents have called for legalisation and the current one has called for use of “market mechanisms” – presumably a euphemism for legalisation.

Latin America is being torn apart by pressure from the United States to stop drugs heading north to the biggest drug market in the world. President Barack Obama was forced to bow to pressure from Latin America in April and acknowledge (in an election year) that it was entirely appropriate to debate the legalisation of drugs, although he added this was something the United States would never do.

In a world-first, Uruguay’s president has sent a Bill to legalise cannabis to the legislature for consideration. At the Summit of the Americas in Cartegena, Colombia, earlier this year (14 to 15 April), the United States and Canada were isolated on drug policy. Latin America now wants change. 

The politics of drugs also seems to be changing in the United States. Primaries for a Democratic Congressional district in El Paso, Texas and a contest for the Oregon attorney general were both won by younger candidates supporting drug law reform, defeating older incumbents who supported a war-on-drugs approach.

And, the 2011 annual Gallup poll in the United States, asking “do you support the legalisation of marijuana?” reported that supporters (50%) now outnumbered opponents (46%). In 1969, 12% supported while 84% opposed legalisation of marijuana. Medical marijuana is now available in 17 states (and the District of Colombia).

The situation in Europe

There are now more countries providing models for how reform can be implemented. The Netherlands, Switzerland and Portugal have shown that reforms can be carried out without breaching international drug treaties, and that an approach with more emphasis on health and social measures can produce better outcomes and achieve strong community support.

In contrast, Sweden is one of few European countries still heavily reliant on severe punishment and drug law enforcement. It claims a drug-free nation as the over-arching goal of its drug policy and rejects safer injecting facilities and heroin assisted treatment.

Sweden still only has the same two needle syringe programs that were established 25 years ago. And it has the eighth-highest drug overdose death rate in the European Union while the Netherlands has the 19th and Portugal the 25th. Overdose deaths have been increasing in Sweden, are stable in the Netherlands and falling in Portugal.

Still, the country seems to be slowly moving away from its hardline approach and gradually becoming more like other European Union countries. And it takes drug treatment seriously, as do all countries that have started reforming their drug policy.

Coinciding with a major expansion and improvement of drug treatment in Zurich, Switzerland, the estimated number of new heroin users declined from 850 in 1990 to 150 in 2002 with decreasing numbers of heroin overdose death, HIV infections and crime. The quantity of heroin seized by police also declined during this period suggesting a shift from the black market to the white market.

Time to make the move

Sooner or later, one side of politics in Australia will realise that drug law reform could be a vote-changing issue for young people. With the current and two previous presidents of the United States, and the current prime minister of Australia, and the current and previous leaders of the Opposition all known to have tried cannabis, it’s increasingly difficult to explain why two to three million Australians are better off purchasing cannabis from criminals, corrupt police or outlaw motorcycle gangs than obtaining the same drug from regulated sources.

Drug policy is a difficult issue for politicians. But the longer they delay reform, or even discussion of reform, the more difficult it’s going to get.

Alex Wodak is one of the directors of Australia21. He does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.

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Your Comments

The real cost of prohibition hidden for political expediency.

Rob - from Central Coast, 8 months ago

The broader non-drug using community, for the most part, isn't aware that decriminalisation & regulation of illicit substances helps them, their loved ones & their children just as much, if not more so, than people that use illicit substances. The higher the focus on drug use as a criminal issue, rather than a health issue, the higher the rates of blood borne viruses in the broader non-drug using community.

Feel free to abuse our system

Anthony Anton - from Qld, 8 months ago

Change the laws right across the board. Penalties for crime in Australia are a walk in the park for most criminals, new offenders and repeat offenders. A person can spend as little as 3 - 5 years in jail for murder. Drug suppliers can receive as little as 12 months bond for offenses. This country is becoming more pathetic every day because we allow legal teams to sidestep laws that are full of holes protected by spineless judges that are more interested in protecting themselves.

Legalise is the only option

Jerome - from Melbourne, 8 months ago

Prohibition will always fail. We need a new solution as trying the same approach is simply stupid and blind. It doesn't work. Legalise drugs. Take it out of the bikers and organized crime hands and have the govt manufacture and tax it. This guarantees quality control plus provide resources to educate and deal with addiction. Why shouldn't the nation get a slice of the action after having to suffer through the after effects for so long.

But why?

Mitch - from Sydney, 8 months ago

Growing up in sydney and seeing first hand the effects and cause of drug use it is clear that the drugs are not necessarily the problem. Suicide and depression are on the rise, with the current system failing so many of our youth it is no surprise that drug use is on the rise. Sure Decriminalise personal use and regulate the manufacture, but we need more then reform on drugs, we need massive reform on the entire system to notice real change. this is the only way to protect our younger generation.

drugs

mark - from moonta, 9 months ago

The war on drugs was allways going to be a failure. Make drugs legal but supplied and controlled by health departments with security guards.This reduces h.i.v by having clean neddles and also reduces crime by removing the drug dealer out of the equation.It will also save millions of dollars that is currently being wasted on this unwinable war.Drug addiction is a illness not a crime.Time for pollies to step up to the plate and stop worrying about votes and silly church leaders.

Mr

MAXX - from Adelaide, 9 months ago

Legalise the growing and manufacturing of drugs but make it a serious offence to use and export so the big crime bosses, bikies and the private households growing and manufacturing these drugs wont do it because it will make it a worthless avenue for criminal activity.

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