New police chief open to legalising heroin and cannabis

[grace]

NEW Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland says he would support decriminalising a range of drugs if the benefits outweighed the risks.

 

In an interview with The Weekend Australian, he said he was "cautiously agnostic" about decriminalising drugs.

 

He said police could not win the war on drugs.

 

But while he supported harm minimisation approaches for users, dealers should face the full force of the law.

 

"For the people who are making lots of money out of it, I am absolutely in favour of throwing everything at them and locking them away," Mr Overland said.

 

"But at the lower end, people who are users and, in a sense, victims themselves, then I think it's actually about finding effective interventions.

 

"I would be prepared to try decriminalisation of some drugs if there was evidence that was the best way to go.

 

"I'd need to be convinced. For instance, things like cannabis, if there was evidence that that was the approach that would lead to the least harm, I would support it, but you'd want to see the evidence."

 

Mr Overland, who succeeded Christine Nixon this week, said he was yet to see such evidence but he was willing to be convinced about various drugs.

 

"That applies right across the board," he said.

 

"If you could convince me that legalising heroin ... if there was evidence that says that was the way to go, that that would lead to lesser harm to individuals and lesser harm to the community, I would be prepared to back it and try it.

 

"But I think you would want ... to be really certain about the outcomes, and you would want rigorous evaluation and be really clear that this is achieving what you think it is going to."

 

He acknowledged the political barriers to decriminalisation, but said he did not believe it was impossible to achieve.

 

Author: Rick Wallace

Date: 6 March 2009

Source: Adelaide Now

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0...865-911,00.html

[Radic]

yes legalize all drugs.

gotta love dat

everytime

imho

drugs are strictly a heath isue

proabition actually makes criminals out of inocient suffers

the law is wrog

the amastadam stats proves this fact

and has challanged the UN several times only to be dissed and even lied about

but hey

its all out there for the new Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland to check for himself

seen

the collatural dammage from the drug war

as we speek

is more than all the wars the planet has experienced to date

it must be stoped now

shame on all those who perputate it

to the workers of greed lust and power

remember

babylons wall

will fall

in less than 1hr

even the dog that piss on the wall of babylon knows dat

 

hail

who ever takes this brave step of total drugs legalization

hail

who totally legalize Cannabis

imortalized as the greatest cannabis crusader of all time

cannabis must free

forward ever

so far it looks like Ca is in the lead

with total cannabis legalization due to be Ca law by November

so i expect the gutless ozie pollies will brown nose the us till then

here is a challange to the NEW Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland

prove me wrong

 

irey guidance

[Alison Myrden]

Someone should email him about LEAP...

 

Anyone have an address????

 

Thanx in advance...

 

Love and a squish,

 

 

Alison Myrden

Leading Female Speaker for LEAP

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

http://www.leap.cc

[Stokes]

Rudd made a statement saying "it will be virtually imposable to avoid a recession"....well stop wasting our fuckin tax money on the police time, the courts time and jail time trying to stop a plant growing. Its cop's like this bloke who see's the bigger picture and can except the fact they will never win the war on drugs. I reckon the time is drawing close when we can grow in peace. They could use all that money they save from harassing us to buy a bigger bucket to bail the water out of the sinking boat were all in.....when i was a kid about 20 years ago we had a cop who was as a family friend and he was very vocal about how much the government was wasting. unfortunatly his "brothers" in law didnt approve, set him up and he spent 8 years in the clink for speaking the truth.....cool thing was when he got out he told me "i dont regret one thing i said or did". he later told me he used the little bit of weed he got from coke dealer's on raids to make tea for his grandmother who was terminal with cancer. nice bloke wish all cops where like him.

Only other cop i"ve met like him was a local cop from a quite country town with a very small population who wouldnt care if you where walkin down the street smokin a j i've had some good luck with coppers in this country (and of course alot of bad as well)

Edited March 23, 2009 by Stokes

[Morgaine]

Hi Ali,

 

Only thing I could find is the Victoria Police Contacts page....you might

be able to get something from their media area?

 

http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=8

 

Cheers,

 

Morgz

xxxxx

[luciddreaming]

Okay, guys. We have to get on to simon overland.

WE have to show him that he has support from people. Don't let him stand alone or he will get corrupted by the crowd!

I think it is time to dig up all the evidence you can find, we can submit it to him all together. Whaddaya say?

[Guest niall]

A Police Comissionner cannot change the law. We need to win over our Politicians, and the only way to do that is to win over the public. The best place to start imho is by talking to your family and friends, prove that cannabis can be used safely and responsibly, and go from there.

[luciddreaming]

That is true, but if the POLICE CHIEF supported legalisation. Do you have any idea how many people that would convince?

If anyone can find his e-mail please post it here.

[mull]

Imo his statement was just politics..

 

"I would be prepared to try decriminalisation of some drugs if there was evidence that was the best way to go.

 

"I'd need to be convinced. For instance, things like cannabis, if there was evidence that that was the approach that would lead to the least harm, I would support it, but you'd want to see the evidence."

 

He knows what Nial said is true.

He knows full well the (flexy) SA decrim period led to corruption and more harm.

He knows the only way to achieve the least harm, is to legalise cannabis federally - not decrim at a state level, creating a massive supply for a naturally massive demand in the prohibited states.

He knows if australia legalises cannabis, it places the country in a position of cannabis export, again - to countries still tied to the conventions. And most likely places aus in a position for trade sanctions, etc etc.

 

A new cattle dog sounds different, but rounds the herd for the farmer, same way.

[Radic]

seen marra

pure lip service

just in case babylons walls coma tumblin down

cause we the people all know the truth

the time for legalization is now

get a real job Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland

work for the people and the earth

right now

you working for multy nationals interest

to protect the riches of the rich

which is driving this whole planet to a sudden distruction

get real

they even lent the gov the money to pay your wage

as we speek

 

do i speek the truth ??????????

well

proove me wrong