Police commander asks if drug use is really crime?

War on Addicts! –

Dec. 10, 2020 – But there’s also fallout from alcohol and even second-hand smoking. Both these legal drugs often have unwanted side effects on the individual who chooses to use them. We deal with alcohol and tobacco in a completely different way than the way we treat illegal drugs. We consider them a health issue – unless someone is assaulted or run over because the offender was drunk – yet still, the offender is not arrested for using alcohol per se but for the consequences of its use.

Somehow we still continue treating illicit drug use as a crime and, I might add, with little success.

Recently it was revealed the NSW government was reconsidering how to deal with this issue. It has looked at recommendations from last year’s ice inquiry. These are unsurprisingly seen by a few former top cops as a sensible way forward.

The word “decriminalisation” has been bandied about a lot over the past week but while the term means slightly different things to different people it is clear the NSW government is reluctant to go there.

They are, however, considering a much humbler but nevertheless worthwhile step towards “diverting” drug users away from the criminal justice system – a “three strikes” policy that would see a person initially given a warning or a fine instead of being charged.