Greens policy facts-based
I write to refute Reginald Sadler’s profound ignorance of the Australian Greens’ Drugs, Substance Abuse and Addiction Policy (“Hypocrisy of demonising a legal activity”, Bendigo Advertiser, April 28).
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This is certainly recommended reading for Reginald, but more importantly, anyone alarmed by his befuddled assertions in relation to Greens policy, which is, in reality, comprehensive and informed by current expertise, evidence and successful models of harm-minimisation globally.
In principle, Greens policy on drugs is predicated upon the fact that drug use and addiction is a public health issue, rather than a criminal one. To this end, the response by all levels of government to drug use is best addressed within the health and social framework. The current punitive approach to drug use has comprehensively failed to stop illicit drug use, therefore the use of illegal drugs should not fall within the criminal framework.
Furthermore, the Australian Greens believe that the use of any drug or substance, including alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs, has the potential to be of harm to individuals and the community. Subsequently a harm minimisation approach is the most appropriate way to reduce the adverse health, social and economic consequences of drug use. Greens policy also demands that “policies and programs should be adopted that are evidence based and subject to continuous evaluation”.
Greens federal leader, Dr Richard Di Natale is a medical doctor, who specialised as a drug and alcohol clinician, and public health policy expert, and Greens drug policy is completely informed by the latest evidence and expertise of health practitioners and researchers in the field.
Currently in Victoria, a united front of police, paramedics, community workers and residents in Richmond are demanding a safe injecting room, following a record 34 heroin deaths in 2016. The Victorian Greens support this demand. All too often our elected leaders ignore the evidence in pursuit of the conservative vote, just as Premier Andrews is doing now, despite the fact that a significant number MPs within his own government also privately endorse an approach of safety and harm minimisation. Anyone’s child or grandchild could be the one dying in the gutter, precisely because drug use and abuse is a public health emergency, and the delineation between legal and illegal drugs is an arbitrary one.
There is a huge difference between the legalisation of all drugs, which Greens policy does not advocate, and the decriminalisation of addiction. Greens policy calls for the retention of “criminal penalties for the trafficking or production of commercial quantities of illicit drugs”, because it should be against the law to profit from another person’s addiction. This is the same principle which applies in the Greens evidence-based opposition to the pokies industry.
The notion that taking steps to make drug use safer somehow condones drug-taking in the first place is a complete nonsense, founded upon wilful ignorance of the readily available facts.
Michelle Goldsmith, Eaglehawk
Loss of access disgraceful
I have two gripes with the media and local police and council.
How can you cancel wheelchair access taxis after 10.00pm? This is a very bad case of discrimination.
Many wheelchair access people need this service, whether out for dinner, movies or clubbing. This is disgraceful.
And, regarding the motor vehicle rate? The police, media, government, locals etc need to realise that there are many more vehicles on the road every year. People turning 18, new licences etc.
It is not the roads that need fixing, it is the drivers needing more experience and training.
About time a mandatory three-year licence and driving check was put in place.