Support users, don't punish them: Ex-AFP boss' radical ideas to beat the drug trade
The drug trade has just kept getting bigger and more dangerous, and we simply cannot arrest and imprison our way out of the problem
The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
For over half a century governments in Australia have relied heavily on law enforcement to curb the drug trade and reduce drug use. But despite huge funding, ever-increasing levels of police effectiveness and effort, and the imposition of lengthy prison terms for serious drug offences, the drug trade has just kept getting bigger and more dangerous. With the best intentions in the world, we simply cannot arrest and imprison our way out of the problem. We must be prepared to try new ideas and approaches, writes Mick Palmer, the former commissioner of the Australian Federal Police.
