Brontë Haskins died last year, at 23, from a drug-related suicide. “Saying goodbye to such a beloved child is the worst thing I have ever experienced,” her mother Janine said, speaking this afternoon at a remembrance ceremony for drug-related deaths, organized by the Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform.

Moved to tears, Ms Haskins described how mental illness and being assaulted wrecked Brontë’s life. A youth worker who had been a formidable AFL player, rescued animals, and was awarded a medal for saving another girl from drowning, became addicted to ice and heroin. Brontë was arrested for drug driving, and sent to the Alexander Maconochie Centre; released on bail, she took her life a week later. Fearing Brontë was at risk, her mother and step-father had wanted Brontë admitted to hospital. They urged police and paramedics to intervene.

“No-one listened to us,” Janine Haskins said.

Brontë “did not wake up one day, and decide she wished to become a substance user as her vocation. Like every other young person, she had dreams and aspirations she wanted to fulfil, and a full life to live.

“Sadly, she ultimately became a tag on a toe by under-resourced and inadequately trained so-called professionals. There are no alternatives here. Things must and have to change.”

Drug-related deaths have increased over the last quarter-century, since the FFDLR’s first remembrance ceremony 25 years ago, president Bill Bush believes – the result of treating drugs as a law enforcement issue, rather than a health and social issue.

“The stigma driven by our punitive drug policy is a key factor behind the crisis in our mental health system,” Mr Bush said. “It is long past time that the ACT followed the example of other countries and adopted the public health approach to tackling drugs, and took note of its own successes in reducing the harms of drug use by public health measures.”

Across Australia, Mr Bush said, there have been 20,000 overdose deaths, more than 300 of them in the ACT. Annually, 21 Canberrans die from drug-related causes – a jump of 50 per cent since 2001, and more than the average road toll. There were at least 17 drug-induced suicides in the ACT in 2019, four times the figure five years before.

During lockdown, consumption of heroin, cocaine, and cannabis increased, according to wastewater analyses. Chronic pain sufferers use illicit opiates to treat themselves, Mr Bush said, while people with mental health issues like anxiety risked getting into trouble with drugs: “The resulting stresses only make the situation worse, leading to depression and high rates of suicide.”

Brontë, Ms Haskins said, felt “incredibly ashamed” of her dependence on substances, and its effect on herself, her family, and her friends.

“It appears that many members of our community often lose sight of the fact that substance users are people first and foremost,” Ms Haskins said. “This judgmental approach merely amplifies many substance users’ sense of worthlessness and effectively not feeling like a member of our general community.”

The stigmatization of substance users was of great concern, Ms Haskins argued. “The bottom line is, people living with comorbidities deserve the same attention as everybody else in our community…

“We are ultimately dealing with a serious health issue, not a criminal one. However, whilst we continue to have a broken system of siloed services in the ACT, loved ones will continue to fall through the gaps, and the community as a whole loses.”

Reforms to minimise the harm done by drugs was a worthy goal, said Peter Cain MLA, the ceremony’s political speaker. The Canberra Liberal politician chairs the inquiry into the Drugs of Dependence (Personal Use) Amendment Bill 2021, ACT Labor MLA Michael Pettersson’s motion to decriminalise possession of small amounts of drugs. Mr Pettersson’s motion would make it easier for substance abusers to seek medical help, rather than be criminally convicted. The Committee’s review is proceeding; Mr Cain hoped the report would be issued soon.

“Irrespective of the progress of this Drugs Bill and the report, my commitment will remain to reach out through legislative means where needed,” Mr Cain said. “But more importantly, to encourage the community with educational programs and support programs, which I think was generally recognized during the inquiry were inadequate to meet current needs.”

Mr Pettersson said the ACT needed to adopt a public health based approach to tackling drugs, rather than a criminal one. “I hope that following the report … the Government can pass a sensible and health-driven policy to help people who use drugs in our community, rather than harm them.”

Today’s ceremony, Mr Pettersson said, was “a reminder of the harm that criminalisation and the stigma around drug use can cause in our community”, and a time to “think about what reforms could have assisted those who have sadly passed away”.

Greens MLA Johnathan Davis, spokesperson for drug harm minimisation, said: “When it comes to drug law reform, it’s important to reflect on the real lives behind the policy and work we do in the ACT Legislative Assembly.”

The Greens had campaigned for drug harm reduction laws and policy reform since the mid-1990s. Mr Davis was pleased to see Mr Cain support this important reform work, and hoped the Canberra Liberals would continue to support drug harm reduction measures that help Canberrans in need, their families, and the community.

Mr Pettersson’s drug reform bill has been welcomed by the Uniting Church Synod of NSW and ACT. Minister John Squires officiated at the ceremony; he said the Uniting Church had developed a Fair Treatment campaign, arguing laws must not marginalise or stigmatise the most disadvantaged people in the community.

As a Christian, Mr Squires said Jesus “would not validate the harsh, uncaring, depersonalizing course of action that many of our loved ones have experienced as they grappled with drug dependency, with suicidal ideation or the intensified pain that comes with age and disability”.

ACT politicians Dr Marisa Paterson and Rachel Stephen-Smith (Labor), and Emma Davidson (Greens) also attended.

If you need help with drugs, call Lifeline Canberra on 13 11 14, or visit their website.