My Belco Party mate Alan Tutt and I were concerned to hear on the hustings from a constituent who works in our justice system that last week there were seven sudden deaths of otherwise healthy people in the ACT.
One was the death in custody at the AMC, two were from drug overdoses, and the other four were most probably also from drug overdoses (yet to be confirmed). This coincides with reports from on-the-ground police to the AFPA that the recent decriminalisation of hard drugs (ice, heroin, and cocaine) by the Greens/Labor government has led to increased drug usage and indications that criminal NSW bikie gangs are now starting to set up shop in the ACT.
This shows how naïve and dangerous the Michael Petterson/Green push to decriminalise hard drugs was.
That most sensible of Labor premiers, Chris Minns, over the border in Queanbeyan, has indicated categorically that he will not follow the ACT’s lead.
Police also speak of an increase in small-time drug dealing. After all, a young person with less than the trafficable quantity of ice or heroin can still sell it to another person, and, unless caught in the act of selling, will only be liable to a one-spot fine or $100 at worst.
If that person is 12 or 13 (which is increasingly becoming the modus operandi of drug dealers), then, under our age of criminal responsibility laws (thanks to the Greens and Labor), they can’t even be charged with dealing or issued with the $100 infringement notice for possession.
All these outcomes surely should have been apparent to our current government; yet they blindly, for one assumes, ideological reasons, and with wishful thinking, passed these anti-social laws that do nothing to help drug addicts or potential drug users, but only compound the problem further. It’s not like there weren’t ample precedents of similar schemes that came to grief overseas.
The Oregon story is a case in point. Drug overdose deaths spiked almost 50 per cent when possession of drugs for personal use was decriminalised. Journalist Chris Uhlmann commented in The Weekend Australian that the ACT should have learnt from the Oregon experience.
Chris went on to say: “What could possibly go wrong [with this legislation]? Let’s make a list. There will be more overdoses. There will be more violence. Those who work in policing and ambulance and emergency services will face greater risks. People will be drawn to the territory for drug tourism. Those who make a living out of this miserable trade, such as outlaw motorcycle gangs, will find Canberra a more appealing place to set up shop.”
The Belco Party has resolved, if elected, to repeal these disastrous laws. Criminalisation of hard drugs has now been shown to work better than decriminalisation. There are no easy answers.
I think the Canberra Liberals are also looking to repeal these laws. Greens and Labor aren’t. Concerned citizens should ask the other independents what their position is.
My younger son, Joe, died as a result of a driver on ice. I’m sure we all want to minimise the risk of other young people dying a drug-related death as well.
