Report Urges Urgent Drug & Alcohol Policy Reform
The Justice Reform Initiative stands with health and legal experts who have called on the NSW Government to immediately act upon the priority actions recommended by the NSW Drug Summit Report.
Justice Reform Initiative Executive Director, Dr Mindy Sotiri, said the report added further weight to the clear need to drastically boost investment for treatment and support services, and for policy redirection away from criminalisation towards a health-first approach.
“The Summit Report reiterates what the sector has been recommending for decades when it comes to making meaningful improvement in drug policy in NSW,” she said.
“There is a need for coordinated reforms and investment in harm reduction, treatment and support services, and significant systemic reforms required in justice and policing. To ensure the urgent implementation of the important recommendations of the report, the Justice Reform Initiative also supports the calls of key NSW AOD peak organisations to establish a taskforce specifically to oversee this.”
Dr Sotiri said that the Report reflected the reality that has long driven experts in their advocacy for policy reform – that alcohol and other drug use in our communities require health and social policy responses.
“The evidence is clear that continuing to prioritise a criminalisation approach to drug use instead of treatment, prevention and harm reduction will continue to put lives at risk and waste government resources,” she said.
“Far too many people in NSW, and around Australia, are pulled into the criminal justice system as a consequence of their drug use, with limited access to meaningful support and treatment in the community at present. Too often people end up being ‘managed’ within the criminal justice system because they have not had access to alcohol and other drug support in the community.
Dr Sotiri also commended the recommendation to cease strip searching at music festivals, noting that this undermines the purpose and effectiveness of pill testing while carrying a risk of causing serious and continuing psychological impact.
“We call on the NSW Government to act swiftly on the important recommendations in the report. To prevent further drug and alcohol related harm, we need coordinated, evidence-based health and social policy responses, alongside significant investment in services providing treatment and care to people in need.”
The Justice Reform Initiative has published a position paper outlining an evidence based approach to drug policy, legislative reform, and support and treatment services.
The Initiative respectfully acknowledges and supports the current and longstanding efforts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to reduce the numbers of Indigenous people incarcerated in Australia and, importantly, the leadership role which Indigenous-led organisations continue to play on this issue. We also acknowledge the work of many other individuals and organisations seeking change, such as those focused on the rate of imprisonment for women, people with mental health issues, people with disability and others.