Experts will have their say at forum - and so can you

[MongyMan]

http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/experts-will-have-their-say-at-forum--and-so-can-you-20120520-1yz11.html

Experts will have their say at forum - and so can you

 

May 21, 2012

 

http://images.smh.com.au/2012/05/20/3311520/ipad-art-wide-alex-20wodak-420x0.jpg

Dr Alex Wodak ... one of six experts who will discuss drug law reform at the forum. Photo: Stefan Postles

• The Drug Debate – check out the WikiCurve to have your say
  

TONIGHT, The Sydney Morning Herald, in conjunction with Sydney Ideas, will host a public forum on the issue ''Should the government decriminalise drugs''.

The forum, at the University of Sydney, will feature a discussion between a panel of experts.

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If you can't make it, you can watch online (live stream from 6pm at smh.com.au) or join the debate via WikiCurve - an innovative, interactive tool launched by the Herald in conjunction with Futureye.

Hosted by Peter Fray, editor-in-chief and publisher of the Herald, and Katherine Teh-White, managing director of Futureye, the forum will bring together six experts to discuss drug law reform - Dr Alex Wodak (president of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation), David Marr (senior writer at The Sydney Morning Herald), Gary Christian (secretary and research director of Drug Free Australia), Professor Kate Conigrave (addiction medicine specialist, University of Sydney), Vivienne Moxham-Hall (Student Union director, University of Sydney) and Tony Trimingham (chief executive, Family Drug Support). Mr Fray said the time was right for Australians to re-engage with the issue of drug law reform and to raise questions such as whether zero tolerance was the answer, would easing the laws save lives, or would it cost lives. ''The federal government believes society is not ready to change the law. It may well be right - or it may be wrong,'' he said. ''Certainly the issue has been given fresh impetus by the recent call for decriminalisation from Australia21, a panel of distinguished current and former politicians, policy makers and public servants, including the former head of the Australian Federal Police Mick Palmer, and the former NSW director of public prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery. But what does the public think? What do you think?''

[Allotropy]

Good find mongy,

 

Personally i'm strongly in favour of legalization of drugs, all drugs.

 

Education and Regulation seams like the right thing to do, the justifiable thing to do for those people who smoke and consume cannabis. I guess the biggest motive for them to keep the laws the way they are is as a preventative to people smoking pot in the first place, particularily the young, the mentally ill and the vunerable. The theory is that if they can keep pot illegal less people will come into contact with it. Which isn't working at all and never has. Another reason and I think this is the biggest reason, is that they won't make nearly as much money as many speculate from it, if they legalised cannabis than if they kept it illegal. This is because people can just grow the stuff in their backyard or litterally in their closet, which most will do when it is legalised. Again, they spend billions of dollars in the hunt for cannabis that could be used for things like medical research into cures for cancer or simply the health care system in general. People can easily grow the stuff in their closets allready and their backyards . Certain people in government recognise this aswell and realise they won't make all that money selling pounds on the black market when it is legalised, All eyes on tonny abott. Flying a chopper around an isolated part of Australia does nothing to reduce the amount of cannabis that goes to market either, liars.

 

The laws don't work and they are a joke. Including the laws surrounding harder drugs like heroin and methlyamphetamine. They drive the prices up and make life for an addict miserable. Have a look at the success of some european nations in the dicriminalization of heroin. Addicts are off the street.. the numbers are down.. the treatment processes in getting them off heroin are effective and they are treated humanly. The laws benefit the government and the government only. People on the street have no problem getting hold of drugs any drug that is in every major city in australia..Including inside the prison and psychiatric health care facilities and thanks to the laws they can't even aford a bite to eat on the street, just a fuck you from a parol officer or a needle in the backside by a nurse.

 

 

The american government responsible for prohibition was also responsible for pumping crack into black communities in america. - There is irrefutable evidence of this including dea officers..ex police officers admiting this.The australian high commisioner of police that was responsible for harsh queensland laws.. was also receiving bribes from the mafia.

 

 

What do you all think? Again, personally I'm in favour of legalisation of all drugs, I think it is the right thing to do , regulation, education and rehabilitation. But I don't think they will do it, infact sometimes I wish they wouldn't. Given the chance for the reasons previously mentioned. So charity services struggle in their bid. However, Barack Obama the man that has the power to change everything has recognised that the war on drugs is not working and they need to change their approach. Which might mean that all that hash and opium in the middle east that has exploded in figurative numbers since the US occupation, will come our way someday, whether we know it does allready or not. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, who knows, but so far he has been backing out of everything he has had to say

 

Those people who have done serious research are also more or less in favour of legalisation of drugs.. and usually all drugs. Harm reduction and that means first contact of the drug, is sought when drugs are legalised it doesn't appear so, but it is clear when there is a comparison of research and irrefutable evidence.

 

Guess I should probably stop having a whinge and move to bali where they will shoot a man for cannabis possession or turn back the tables of time where an aboriginal man would get pushed off a cliff and a man in possession of cannabis and other drugs could spend most of his good life behind bars.

 

Carry on people,

 

Edited May 21, 2012 by Anthesis

[darryl d]

Just posted in another thread about this.

The video link is well worth clicking. Real people involved in real discussion.

[Allotropy]

Great link dazza

 

- Anth