Drug decriminalisation would 'save hundreds of millions', but Queensland Premier rules it out
The Queensland Productivity Commission says "all available evidence" shows the war on drugs fails to restrict usage or supply
Friday, January 31, 2020
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has ruled out decriminalising drugs despite a new report saying it would cut the state's record rate of incarceration and save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars a year. It is the centrepiece of 42 reforms proposed by the Queensland Productivity Commission (QPC), after its examination of the state's overcrowded prison system. The QPC found decriminalisation would improve the lives of drug addicts without increasing the rate of drug use. Its report estimated that if reforms were implemented immediately, "the prison population would be between 20 to 30 per cent lower in 2025". "This would save between $165 million and $270 million in annual prison costs and avoid $2.1 billion in prison investments," the report said.
