The Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation has released
a Ten Point Plan for Effective Drug Laws.
Prohibition
has not worked. It causes increased corruption,
crime, disease and death. We aim to take the
profit out of the illicit drug industry and
effectively confront Australia's illicit drug
problem. Therefore, we advocate the following:
Treat
drug use as a health and social issue, not a
law enforcement problem.
Maintain
penalties for unauthorised, large scale (defined)
cultivation, production, transport, sale and
possession of all drugs.
Fund
equally law enforcement, education and drug
treatment.
Provide
well funded, research-based effective drug education
for the community and schools to be developed
by education and health professionals.
Remove
criminal sanctions for the personal use of illicit
drugs.
Regulate
and tax the commercial production and sale of
cannabis.
Expand
drug treatment and needle exchange programs
to meet demand and establish safe injecting
facilities.
Adopt
non-custodial sentencing options such as drug
treatment, counselling or community service
orders for those apprehended for minor drug-related
offences.
Trial
and rigorously evaluate a wide range of treatment
options including the medical prescription of
heroin
Expand
Australia's successful harm reduction approach
to drugs for the benefit and well-being of all
members of the community.
