Page 3412 - Week 10 - Thursday, 20 October 2022
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child the appropriate health services they need. That is what this bill does—but for every child, not just yours.
To those in the second category—those who believe that drug possession should remain a criminal offence, but it should not be enforced as a criminal offence—I say that there is a time and place for virtue signalling. Our criminal laws are not that place. If you do not believe that someone should be in jail for the personal possession of recreational drugs, our criminal laws should reflect that—full stop.
Either way, the criminalisation and demonisation of people who use drugs has done nothing but make it harder for them to get the help we claim we want to provide. It is time to stop punching down on some of the most marginalised members of our community and instead help—and only help—these vulnerable Canberrans. To some, this approach may seem radical and extreme. I can assure you that it is not. The Canberra community is already far ahead of this Assembly. A recent public opinion poll commissioned by Uniting showed that nearly 80 per cent of Canberrans support decriminalising the possession of a wider array of illicit drugs.
More specifically, according to ACT government YourSay data collected in 2021; for hallucinogens, 20 per cent of Canberrans support no action or a caution for possession; 46 per cent support education or treatment and 22 per cent support a fine. Only seven per cent support a community service order or weekend detention. Further, only four per cent of Canberrans support a prison sentence. For ecstasy, 18 per cent of Canberrans support no action or a caution, 45 per cent of Canberrans support education or treatment, and 23 per cent support a fine. Only eight per cent support a community service order or weekend detention. Further, only four per cent of Canberrans support a prison sentence for ecstasy possession.
For cocaine, 17 per cent support no action or a caution, 46 per cent of Canberrans support education or treatment for possession, and 24 per cent support a fine. Only eight per cent support a community service order or weekend detention. Further, only four per cent of Canberrans support a prison sentence for cocaine possession.
For heroin, five per cent of Canberrans support no action or a caution, 64 per cent of Canberrans support education or treatment and 15 per cent support a fine. Only seven per cent support a community service order or weekend detention. Further, only eight per cent of Canberrans support a prison sentence for heroin possession. For methamphetamine, the drug that has brought so much heat into this debate, three per cent of Canberrans support no action or a caution, 60 per cent of Canberrans support education or treatment, and 15 per cent support a fine. Only eight per cent of our community support a community service order or weekend detention. Further, only 11 per cent of Canberrans support a prison sentence for the possession of methamphetamine.
With polling like that, this is not a controversial issue. It is abundantly clear to me that this bill is in line with our community’s values. It places the right level of trust in ACT police to use their judgement, in that moment, to confiscate the drugs and either issue a fine or direct them to an appropriate drug diversion program. It removes further interaction with the criminal justice system and the risk of a criminal conviction and two years in jail.
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