NSW Government Knows We Need Evidence-Based Drug Law Reform. So, Why Block It?
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties posted an image last week of the premier with the word “Failed” stamped boldly across his forehead, with the reason being that Chris Minns had “promised a drug summit” preelection “to introduce meaningful change”...
Ban on Retail Sales of Nicotine-Free Vapes Makes No Sense At All
As of Monday, 1 July 2024, vapes are only available at pharmacies throughout Australia and for the first three months, sales of the products that are designed to be a safer alternative to smoking are by prescription only. The main...
As Victoria Trials Pill Testing, It’s Time to Save NSW Youths Not Punish Them with Death
In late 2015, as the volume on the pill testing campaign was turning up due to a recent spate of festival deaths, there was a boat packed with pollies guarding the waters around prohibitive state drug regimes, with then NSW...
The New South Wales Drug Diversion Scheme is an Abject Failure
The drug diversion scheme that NSW premier Chris Minns quietly implemented in February, has been found not to be adequately working in terms of diverting people from the criminal justice system and towards a more health-based approach. Known as the...
Sure, Minns Promised a Drug Summit, But That Was When Seeking Election
Guess what? NSW premier Chris Minns hasn’t been the progressive politician he’d attempted to portray he would be during the 2023 election campaign. Indeed, it’s hard to believe, after a year of his leadership, that is the same guy, who...
Legalising and Regulating Cocaine Would Be a Sensible Lifesaving Reform
Cocaine Inc, a new podcast series based on a joint investigation by The Times and News Corp, which covers the trade in illegal cocaine across six different countries that, as the narrator explains, is “an industry where the profits are...
The Drug Offenders Program: Shane Prince SC and Jim Finnane on Early Intervention
The hardline approach taken to psychoactive drugs has pushed their use underground, which causes barriers to seeking help for those who develop problematic use, as they’re admitting to a crime, while the funding of an ever-increasing habit can also become...
How Long Does a Drug Offence Stay on My Criminal Record?
Having to go to court for a drug offence can be daunting, and you may be concerned about the implications of pleading guilty or being found guilty of an offence such as drug possession or drug supply. Your concerns may...
Drug Supply Charges: Pleading Guilty, Remorse and Rehabilitation Can Significantly Reduce Sentence
A former AFL player has been sentenced to a full term of five years and four months in prison, with a non-parole period of three years, after being sentenced over multiple counts of supplying a prohibited drug as well as...
The Slow Drip Death of the NSW Festival Industry: A Targeted State Approach
The Australian festival industry is still struggling post-pandemic shutdown. Main stayer Groovin the Moo had to cancel its annual regional tour last February, while Victoria’s three-decade-old Falls Festival had to cancel its last New Year’s Eve event, with dozens more...
