https://sputnikglobe.com/20220223/legal-meth-in-australia-victorian-lawmaker-calls-for-decriminalising-hard-drugs-1093295435.html
Legal Meth in Australia? Victorian Lawmaker Calls for Decriminalising Hard Drugs
Legal Meth in Australia? Victorian Lawmaker Calls for Decriminalising Hard Drugs
Sputnik International
Victorian MP Fiona Patten's bill stipulates that a drug user will be required to wrap up a rehabilitation programme within 12 months instead of being given a... 23.02.2022, Sputnik International
2022-02-23T09:10+0000
2022-02-23T09:10+0000
2022-02-23T09:10+0000
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Punishment for drug users is seen as one of the ways to tackle substance addiction, but it appears that a lawmaker from the southern Australian state of Victoria knows better. Fiona Patten did not think twice before calling for the decriminalisation of hard drugs in her state.Patten claimed that authorities in Victoria should stop perceiving drug use as a criminal problem and instead focus on tackling the issue as a health concern.If passed, the bill would decriminalise the possession of small quantities of such drugs as cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetamines.Under the document, an offender would be given 12 months to complete a reform programme, which stipulates drug users being sent to a rehabilitation facility or given community service rather than being given a fine or jail time.Patten's parliamentary address comes after she alleged that early intervention by the authorities may be of help to most drug users.She was apparently referring to Croatia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and several American states, which have already decriminalised some illicit drugs.Right now, the possession and use of a small quantity of cannabis is decriminalised in the state of South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and the country's Northern Territory.
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australia, bill, lawmaker, parliament, meth, drug use, fine, jail
Legal Meth in Australia? Victorian Lawmaker Calls for Decriminalising Hard Drugs
Victorian MP Fiona Patten's bill stipulates that a drug user will be required to wrap up a rehabilitation programme within 12 months instead of being given a fine or a prison term.
Punishment for drug users is seen as one of the ways to tackle substance addiction, but it appears that a lawmaker from the southern Australian state of Victoria knows better. Fiona Patten did not think twice before calling for
the decriminalisation of hard drugs in her state.
Presenting the relevant bill to the Victorian State Parliament on Wednesday, Patten, the leader of the Reason Party and member for the Northern Metropolitan Region, said that "instead of being given a criminal conviction or being taken to court or arrested", drug users "will be given a treatment or education notice by the police".
Patten claimed that authorities in Victoria should stop perceiving drug use as a criminal problem and instead focus on tackling the issue as a health concern.
If passed, the bill would decriminalise the possession of small quantities of such drugs as cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetamines.
Under the document, an offender would be given 12 months to complete a reform programme, which stipulates drug users being sent to a rehabilitation facility or given community service rather than being given a fine or jail time.
Patten's parliamentary address comes after she alleged that early intervention by the authorities may be of help to most drug users.
"This could provide a change to someone's life if they were going down a trajectory that was going to aid them in trouble with drugs. So this is sensible. This is reasonable. This is not radical. This is what other countries are doing. And the evidence tells us that we should be doing it in Victoria", the MP argued.
She was apparently referring to Croatia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and several American states, which have already decriminalised some illicit drugs.
Right now,
the possession and use of a small quantity of cannabis is decriminalised in the state of South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and the country's Northern Territory.
