Personal drug use and possession should be decriminalised, former Supreme Court justice argues
A new paper is calling on Australian governments to decriminalise personal drug use
ABC News (Australia)
Monday, December 2, 2019
Monday, December 2, 2019
The criminalisation of illicit drugs is causing more harm than good, a prominent former judge has said, calling for criminal offences relating to personal drug possession to be abolished. Retired ACT Supreme Court Justice Richard Refshauge is the patron of Directions Health Services that has produced a position paper on the matter. "We know that in certain cases it's clear that penalties can reduce illegal behaviour," he said. "In the case of drugs the evidence is all the other way. Putting people who use small amounts of drugs occasionally into the criminal justice system actually piles prejudice, upon prejudice, upon prejudice." In September, the ACT Government passed laws to legalise personal cannabis use.
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