Drugs are harmless, Law is dangerous

[garywmeyerhoff]

A magistrate admitted today that drug prohibition is the real cause of drug related harm in the Northern Territory of Australia.

 

Wallace made the comments while sentencing a young man to a 28 day mandatory sentence for possession of Cannabis, Amphetamines and Ecstasy.

 

While delivering sentence in Court 2 at Darwin Magistrate’s Court this morning, Wallace told the court that he accepted that the defendant had suffered “No physiological or psychological harm from his drug use.”

 

He said that the only harm suffered by the defendant was due to his encounter with the criminal justice system.

 

Yesterday, defence lawyer Alan Woodcock told the court that “Taking large amounts of drugs over days and days of dancing is becoming more common among young people today.”

 

Territory courts continue to punish these non-violent drug offenders with 28 day mandatory sentences for any second or subsequent offence against the Misuse of Drugs Act, despite the election pledge made by Chief Minister Clare Martin that there would be no mandatory sentencing in the Territory under a Labor Government.

 

NAP spokesperson Gary Meyerhoff said “The prisons are now seriously overcrowded and the indigenous community continue to be over-represented. The Territory still has by far the highest imprisonment rate in Australia at 524 per 100,000 of adult population. The national figure is 149.”

 

“We agree wholeheartedly with Magistrate Wallace when he says that the only harm suffered by the defendant was related to intervention by law enforcement authorities. If the Territory Government is genuine about reducing drug related harm they must end drug prohibition immediately.”

 

Wallace informed the defendant that if he continued to use illicit drugs he would continue to find himself within the clutches of Australia’s police and prisons.

 

For more information call Gary on 0415 16 2525 or see Network Against Prohibition

[Guest]

So for every 200 people 1 is locked up. Thats fucked.

[free choice]

HAMMER IT HOME TO THE LAW MAKERS >>>>

 

OVER & OVER & OVER ...

& then some

 

 

this is the only thing they understand ..