Greens drop controversial drugs policy

[Tom]

THE Australian Greens have dropped a controversial policy to study options to supply drug users with ecstasy and marijuana.

 

Party leader Bob Brown said yesterday the party had backed away from the proposal after talking to drug experts.

 

The plan to investigate the regulated supply of illicit drugs was ridiculed by critics in the lead-up to the 2004 federal election.

 

It called for "the controlled availability of cannabis at appropriate venues" and "investigations of options for the regulated supply of social drugs such as ecstasy in controlled environments".

 

Under the Greens' revised drugs policy, decisions about harm minimisation would rest with a proposed new Australian drugs policy institute, Senator Brown said.

 

"The contentious past proposals to investigate options for the regulated supply of marijuana and ecstasy have gone," Senator Brown said yesterday.

 

"It's come after a lot of study by the Greens in reference to national experts in the field of drugs.

 

"It takes away the controlled-supply option that was there before with ecstasy and marijuana."

 

The new drugs policy, endorsed by the party's national conference in Hobart, says criminal sanctions for personal drug use should be dropped in favour of rehabilitation and harm minimisation.

 

It proposes a new national centre to develop drugs policy based on evidence-based trials.

 

"There are serious health risks associated with all drug use," Senator Brown said.

 

"We think people - especially young people - should be discouraged from abusing drugs, including tobacco and alcohol.

 

"It is harmful for your health and our policy of harm minimisation reflects that," he said.

 

Senator Brown accused the Herald Sun of misrepresenting the Greens' policies in an August 2004 report.

 

The Australian Press Council upheld a complaint against the Herald Sun in March last year over the report.

 

Author:Jason Frenkel

Date:26jan06

Source:www.thesundaymail.news.com.au

Copyright:© Queensland Newspapers

 

[Frazz]

Weakness...no guts....thier new policy is to estabish " a new national centre to develop drugs policy based on evidence-based trials."

Trials can be loaded either way....just depends whose paying for the trail and what outcome they want

 

They've got no policy, they just want someone else to tell them what to do

[WantDaChronic]

fucking arse holes just lost my vote

[superninja]

Party leader Bob Brown said yesterday the party had backed away from the proposal after talking to drug experts.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

:scratchin Imagine if we had politicians that thought to consult with drug experts BEFORE they submitted their proposal in the first place... Fkwts.

Arghhh Why won't they get it right???

 

"The contentious past proposals to investigate options for the regulated supply of marijuana and ecstasy have gone," Senator Brown said yesterday.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Oh, it's contentious.

 

It proposes a new national centre to develop drugs policy based on evidence-based trials.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Wow, what a radical concept . Except politicians and evidence go together like Amanda Vanstone (I think?) and a whiteboard. What evidence?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Fkwts

[Gush]

THE Australian Greens have dropped a controversial policy to study options to supply drug users with ecstasy and marijuana.

 

If the greens were serious about cannabis decriminalisation, they would never put it in the same sentence as Ectasy, let alone the same policy... :thumbdown

.....and people call this a democracy

[Nath]

If the greens were serious about cannabis decriminalisation, they would never put it in the same sentence as Ectasy, let alone the same policy... :thumbdown

.....and people call this a democracy 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Totally... horrible to read about this

[Pickle]

Write them letters and don't be so hasty to change your vote, this is still more than any other party is prepared to do. If the pollies want to take small bites untill they have eaten the whole pie maybe we should take small bites too.

[Pa-uul]

Bob Brown just doesn't want to break off the US alliance. :thumbdown

 

The "drug experts" Bob Brown spoke to may have been medical drugs experts, and, he may have also spoken to political drug experts. The political drug experts would have told him that he can't have an only legal policy for cannabis in Australia. This defies the UN Single Convention On Narcotic Substances adopted in 1961. This blanket international law applies to all countries who want to do trade with the United States and its allies and was first proposed by the Americans after World War 2. :signthis The 1961 law formalizes cannabis prohibition world-wide and brings it under the same legal umbrella as that for opiates and cocaine; making it as "dangerous" in classification. This is of course grotesque. Cannabis can be used safely for long periods of time and doesn't deserve to have the same controls as morphine, for example.

 

One of the conditions of acceptance to the World Trade Organisation is to sign the various treaties of drug prohibition. It means that the Greens can't get credibility unless they play ball because trade is so important to our economy. A public face of support for drug prohibition is necessary for electoral support then, at least it would seem. With a prohibitionist US Bush Administration in place credibility requires towing the line. :bow What a shame for the Greens. This is terrible, horrible political interference from the United States, yet we distastefully accept it under the guise of our "friendship" with them. It's time to stop fearing the boogie men of World War 2 and the cold war and wean ourselves off this wayward superpower. They don't deserve our friendship anymore. We can go it alone.

 

Let's hope that this policy change is just for show. That they will in fact be liberal and that it means they are expecting even bigger support at the next election. Of course, the proposal "to supply" anyone with marijuana was just stupid. It should be legal for all, not merely supplied by the government. ::

Edited January 27, 2006 by Pa-uul

[WantDaChronic]

maybe we should take a lesson from our stubborn neighbours to the north and tell the rest of the world its our country, our laws, fuck off

 

just had a better idea, how about we lobby for the legalisation of hemp? the USA made hemp illegal by saying it was marijuana so maybe if we had some really good political spinners we could legalize hemp and marijuana at the same time :thumbsup

[Guest niall]

I'm a Greens member and I can positively say that the Greens recognise and support decriminalisation and regulation in principle - but it's a controversial position to be enshrined in policy.

 

This decision affects the national Greens party, not State policies - the WA Greens are very much behind the idea of decriminalisation, and I believe NSW or VIC may be as well. When the new policies were being drafted and discussed, there was a very heated debate and unfortunately the current policies were watered down, sadly it was the very best compromise that could be achieved. Tasmania was, I believe, the group that forced these changes through.

 

Please remember that the Greens remain the most marijuana friendly mainstream party in our country. Your state's Greens party hasn't changed its policies, only their Federal counterparts. The best thing you can do is to continue voting for the Greens, trust me they are the only party that can make a difference for us at the moment.

 

Finally - take this as an opportunity to get involved in your local Greens party. The WA Greens have a very strong emphasis on participational democracy - the entire party is structured around grass-roots, regional decision making by its members. Any member may propose new policy, it's very empowering and I don't believe any of the alternative parties operate in this fashion. Please, if you think this is a bad decision then get involved and try to influence the party from within. That's exactly what I'm doing, and I've found that there is widespread, informed support for cannabis regulation and an anti-prohibitionist stance in general.

 

Don't vote for Labor or Liberal, their policies are much worse. Keep voting for the Greens and allow them to use your preferences in the best way possible towards a cannabis friendly society. Trust me, it is still much better to vote for the Greens than any other party, even if you think they have no chance of getting in and that you may as well just vote for either Labor or Liberal. This is nonsense, and it is the main reason why the Greens aren't in power - people think their vote doesn't count!

 

Seriously guys, get involved in the political process and YOU can help shape the Greens cannabis policies. Visit greens.org.au and join your local group, start talking to members about these cannabis policies and work with other members of the party to improve them.

 

The policy in question was about making cannabis available at certain venues, I think a policy that focused on recognising drug harm as well as prohibition harms, and that suggested a strictly regulated industry to replace the current criminal black market, would find widespread support vs. mandating that it be made available in a specific way. We need to educate people and explain why regulation and taxation is the only solution - only then can we start discussing the best regulatory model. We need to convince people that the current regime is MORE harmful, and then to start them thinking about the alternatives and to guide them to the least harmful and most beneficial alternative to society, and cannabis users.