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Articles on Drug reform

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Former drug and alcohol doctor Di Natale says the ‘tough on drugs’ approach causes enormous harm. Lukas Coch/AAP

Greens want cannabis to be made legal

Dealing with cannabis is basically a state matter but the Greens propose an Australian Cannabis Agency be set up to bring together state and territory governments, experts and regulators.
The not-for-profit UK group The Loop said it tested the drug ecstasy with ‘loop lasers’ at a festival in July 2016. The Loop UK/Facebook

Yes, we can do on-the-spot drug testing quickly and safely

Victorian Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said conducting on-site drug tests at public events “safely and quickly is not really a practical option”. But the technology is available.
Needle exchange kits are a cost-effective way of reducing the harm of illicit drugs. http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddwick

Spending down on harm reduction for illicit drugs: report

Australian governments are spending more on law enforcement against illicit drugs than treatment and prevention, according to a report released today by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. The…
One argument for legalisation is it will move the problem away from police and the criminal justice system, where it currently dominates resources. AAP Image/Simon Mossman

Decriminalisation or legalisation: injecting evidence in the drug law reform debate

We should all be concerned about our laws on illegal drugs because they affect all of us – people who use drugs; who have family members using drugs; health professionals seeing people for drug-related…
Brazilian police patrol a favela in Rio De Janiero. EPA/Marcelo Sayao

A moral argument against the war on drugs

Former Brazilian President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, has argued that the war on drugs has failed and cannabis should be decriminalised. He argued that the hardline approach has brought “disastrous” consequences…
It’s worth taking another look at Bob Carr’s record on decriminalising drugs. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Rap sheet: does Bob Carr’s record on drug reform stand up?

The Australia21 thinktank has today released a report describing the war on drugs as a failure. Foreign Minister Senator Bob Carr, part of the working group that developed the report, today told the ABC…

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