[NEWS] Former minister backs drug law change

[Crunchy]

source: http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2009/s2743825.htm

 

SHANE MCLEOD: There's a new push to change Australia's drugs laws and it's being led by a former federal minister. The former Fraser government minister Peter Baume says prohibition has not worked and is only putting tax-free money into the hands of criminals.

 

He's endorsed an international report which proposes regulating illegal drugs in the same way as pharmaceuticals. Peter Baume acknowledges it will attract some vigorous opposition.

 

Brendan Trembath reports.

 

BRENDAN TREMBATH: The former federal government minister Peter Baume argues Australia's illegal drug control policies are failing.

 

PETER BAUME: We're putting a lot of tax-free money into the hands of criminals and we're forcing our kids to deal with criminals.

 

BRENDAN TREMBATH: Peter Baume spent 17 years in the Australian parliament. During the Fraser government he was the minister for health, the minister for Aboriginal affairs and the minister for education. After politics he became the ninth chancellor of the Australian National University.

 

This morning Professor Baume has endorsed a report which shows how to regulate all the drugs which are currently illegal. The report has been released by the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation.

 

PETER BAUME: Mostly they want to start a debate and I reckon that's a really good idea.

 

BRENDAN TREMBATH: Professor Baume says prohibited drugs could be regulated by governments the same way as pharmaceuticals. He suggests it's a better alternative to what happens now.

 

PETER BAUME: At the moment you're getting corruption, diversion of money. Prohibition isn't working; the Americans dismissed prohibition of alcohol because it didn't work. Why do they think prohibition of illicit drugs will work any better?

 

BRENDAN TREMBATH: We're starting to see some countries decriminalise the possession of drugs. Which countries?

 

PETER BAUME: Quite a few countries have decriminalised the use of drugs. But just take Holland for a good example. There isn't a massive drug problem in Holland and the roof hasn't fallen in because they've done that. We want our schools and our communities to be safe for our kids and our families and at the moment we're not going about it very well.

 

BRENDAN TREMBATH: You mentioned Holland - that's a country well known for its marijuana cafes were people can drop in and buy an ounce or something like that of any type of marijuana they care to imagine like they're buying a cup of coffee. Would you like to see those sorts of cafes here?

 

PETER BAUME: I don't know if the cafes work or not. What I would like to see is that we have strict regulations - no sales to juniors - the same as tobacco. And I know tobacco's harmful, but I look at tobacco and I look at cannabis and I think, which is worse at the present time? Which of the arrangements we've got are better and which are worse? And honestly I think we could do better than we're doing.

 

BRENDAN TREMBATH: By advocating a softer approach to drug possession, who are likely to be your biggest obstacles? Which groups just won't want a bar of this?

 

PETER BAUME: OK, there are several groups. The criminals won't want a bar of it and they never have because they're doing very nicely out of the present system. The people who are winning from the present system won't want any change. Zealots and warriors won't want any change.

 

BRENDAN TREMBATH: You spent a lot of time in the federal government. What's the next step to get this sort of report before the Australian Government?

 

PETER BAUME: The first thing we've got to do is get a good debate going. I mean there are millions of different ways of organising things. Let's have a debate about which is the best.

 

SHANE MCLEOD: Professor Peter Baume speaking to Brendan Trembath.

Edited November 16, 2009 by Crunchy

[Frazz]

good one Crunchy ... this Professor Peter Baume is no mug just look at his qualifications;

 

MB BS, MD HonLittD (USQ), HonDUniv (ANU), FRACP FAFPHM FRACGP (Hon)

 

currently Chancellor of the Australian National University, Canberra

 

Commissioner of the Australian Law Reform Commission

Deputy Chair of the Australian National Council on AIDS

 

he should be a member here

 

[mistyville]

Go Professor Baume!

[n1knightmare]

That is great news. It is about time someone with some credentials is standing up and saying something. i just hope people listen now. Nice post Crunchy.

[Crunchy]

all credit goes to Frazz for the article (I believe it was Frazz... as i was extremely... medicated.. at the time and cant quite recall )

he is the person who first brought it to my attention

[n1knightmare]

all credit goes to Frazz for the article (I believe it was Frazz... as i was extremely... medicated.. at the time and cant quite recall )

he is the person who first brought it to my attention

 

Memories are overrated anyways...

[hobbez]

be good if he gets some more coverage for his change of heart

[Frazz]

be good if he gets some more coverage for his change of heart

 

yea its rather obvious the press are unwilling to publicize this otherwise news-worthy story , only place i found reference to it was on ABC no other news outlets had a mention of it , which make me wonder why???

 

BTW this report that is at the heart of the matter and titled 'After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation' can be downloaded as a PDF from here;

http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Transform_Drugs_Blueprint.pdf

 

"This book is truly groundbreaking. In years to come we'll look back at prohibition, and the only question we'll ask is why it lasted so long."

 

Jack Cole, Executive Director,

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

 

[hobbez]

Yeah positive coverage on cannabis in australian media is a hard thing to come by, and it's all from the ABC. Guess the old scare stories generate more hits for lachlan's websites and more forum chatter therefore more money.

 

I honestly believe that the media could get marijuana legalised if they tried, they've managed to scare basically everyone that has never seen/tried pot into thinking it's herion #2. They would have the best chance at turning that around.

 

We need an aussie NORML, LEAP and maybe a government drug advisor that breaks rank like the bloke in the uk.

[Crunchy]

cant agree more hobbez