Latest news with #drugpolicy
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- Health
- News.com.au
New AFL footy performance manager Greg Swann will not lead the competition's war on drugs
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon says new general manager of football performance Greg Swann will not lead the competition's fight against illicit drugs. Dillon and the AFL remain in the hunt for a new deputy chief but bolstered its panel by unveiling Swann, the former Brisbane chief executive, as its newest member on Monday. Dillon says the highly criticised illicit drugs policy will not be tackled by Swann and will instead be overseen by the demoted Laura Kane. 'Within the structure now the drugs policy will sit within the healthcare unit which Laura Kane will lead,' Dillon said. 'We've been having productive discussions with the PA (AFL Players' Association) over a number of months, we're working collaboratively with them on a really complex issue. 'We want to make sure we have a policy that is fit for purpose for '25 and beyond and is a policy that has buy in from the AFL, the Players' Association, our clubs and our playing group. 'We will take the time to do the work to make sure that it's right.' Dillon is working with the AFLPA, the players and the club to find a policy which is 'fit for purpose'. He says illicit drugs is a 'societal issue we're all confronting' and not a problem exclusive to the playing cohort. 'I think what we will have is a policy that's fit for purpose for the AFL and the Players' Association and the clubs and the players going forward,' he said. 'Illicit drugs use is a societal issue and is not something we can shy away from but what we want to do is make sure we've got a policy that is right for the AFL. 'Ultimately, it's a societal issue we're all confronting.' Dillon is closing in on a deputy chief, with Tom Harley (Sydney), Ameet Bains (Western Bulldogs) and Simon Garlick (Fremantle) reported as leading contenders. He says the AFL is in communication with the leading candidates now and is hopeful of an imminent appointment. 'We've got some really strong candidates who we're talking to at the moment and we're hopeful of making an announcement,' Dillon said. 'But not until we've got that locked away, I am not going to go into any individuals, but what I will say is we've got a really strong field of candidates we're talking to.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘People think prison is for rehabilitation. It is all lies': could community service work better than jail?
The baby calls out, reaching towards a metal detector security gate. 'Mama, mama,' she says. A prison officer waves her through. It's visiting time at El Buen Pastor prison, Colombia's largest detention centre for women. Behind the black door, half a dozen women wait anxiously. Dressed in her best clothes, the mother folds herself around the child. Inside, the prison is crumbling. Black mould creeps up the walls; broken windows have been replaced with plastic sheets. Inmates say five to six people share cells built for two. 'It is terrible here,' says inmate Daniela Martinez. 'The conditions are horrible. Once you enter, you lose hope.' Colombia's female prison population has increased more than fivefold since 1991, largely driven by drug laws that disproportionately punish women. More than a third are imprisoned for drug-related crimes; many are minor players in the trafficking chain. The nation – which produces most of the world's cocaine – has long been plagued by the drug trade, which has fuelled organised crime and conflict and continues to flourish. Now Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, is attempting a new approach – pivoting from punishment to rehabilitation. 'Colombia has been the best student of the global drug regime, and done pretty much everything we were told to do for decades,' says Laura Gil, Colombia's ambassador-at-large for global drug policy. 'Yet today, we have record production, record consumption and record narco trafficking. 'We need to put people at the forefront instead of prisons at the forefront,' she adds. A key reform is the Public Utility law, introduced in March 2023, to allow incarcerated women who are heads of their household and serving sentences under eight years to complete community service instead. It is granted primarily to women convicted of drug trafficking. At El Buen Pastor prison, Colombia's minister of justice Ángela María Buitrago Ruiz says a significant portion of female inmates are poor and from rural areas – where they are vulnerable to the cartels. 'Many of the women here have suffered from marginality. Although in many cases they have trafficked drugs, in many cases they also did not know what they were smuggling,' she says. 'We need to change the system. We need to protect women.' Inmate Martinez was sentenced to five years and four months after 10 kilos of marijuana was found in her home. 'I was tricked. I was asked to keep hold of it for someone, and then two hours later the police came,' she says. 'I was a mule.' Patricia Cortes, 23, is one of those who released under the scheme. She was freed on 17 September 2024, 11 months after she was first incarcerated for conspiracy to commit a crime, drug trafficking, manufacturing, or possession of narcotics. Cortes says that she had been photographed alongside her mother, who had started selling narcotics to escape poverty. 'Her motivation was our household needs: she had eight children, five of whom were minors, and my father had left,' she says. 'She needed the money.' Cortes says women bear the brunt of Colombia's drug crisis, with many coerced. In the prison chapel, the justice minister plays a video of an inmate leaving El Buen Pastor under the scheme. 'Please help us and give us women who are heads of household a second chance,' she says; the inmates watching cheer in response. 'People think and say that prison is where people are rehabilitated and educated, but it is all lies. In prison, everything is denied,' says Cortes, who gave birth to her son in jail. 'Many people leave prison worse than when they entered.' Only 143 women have been released so far – 99 of whom were charged with drug offences – despite the availability of more than 2,600 community service spaces. The justice ministry blames 'conservative judges' for stalling progress, while civil society leaders say the definition of 'marginality' has caused difficulties in court. 'We don't have high hopes for being released,' says Martinez. 'We are more useful outside than inside; here all we do is waste time. But we have seen how many of the requests have been denied.' Beyond the Public Utility law, Petro launched a 10-year drug policy in October that proposes to change the narrative around psychoactive substances, prioritise rural development, reduce coca crops, and help small farmers transition to the legal economy. In March, the Colombian government also led a historic resolution at the UN commission on narcotic drugs to suggest reforms for the existing 60-year-old system. Civil society leaders have criticised Petro's 10-year plan as lacking strategy. It also comes amid a deteriorating security situation that has left tens of thousands displaced, and prevents access to key coca cultivation sites. Local people, too, wonder if the policies go far enough. In a Bogotá neighbourhood long scarred by the drug trade, people say the root of the issue is poor education. 'There are no opportunities for children to get an education here,' says Monica Urbina, 39. 'They turn to drugs at 13, thinking it will give them a solution to their problem. Then they join the gangs. A lot of young people from our neighbourhoods are in jail or dead. The government needs to fix the schools first.' Martinez, who is applying for release under the Public Utility law, agrees that more action is needed. 'Drugs affect everything in this country – families, economy, work, social life,' she says. 'The government needs to work harder to break the chain.'
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Drinkers are more of a danger to society than stoners? What rubbish
The cheerleaders for marijuana have been rolling their joints with a little more vigour this week, buoyed by Baron Falconer of Thoroton. The chirpy one-time Blairite, Charlie to his chums, has been doing the media rounds to promote a report published by the London Drugs Commission, of which he is chair, that calls for the legalisation of the possession of cannabis. Stop and search, Lord Falconer said, 'is most disproportionately used against young black men.' Although the police might argue in their defence that official data suggests cannabis use is higher among black people than white and Asian. Legalising possession, he argued, would improve relations 'between the police and ethnic communities'. Maybe. But what annoys me about this debate is that, every time it comes around, the pro-legalisation brigade always drag alcohol into the argument. Britain's 'problem' with drinking, they say, inflicts far more misery than cannabis. It leads to more deaths, destroys more lives, sparks fights outside pubs and clubs across the country every weekend and places huge demands on the NHS. And, of course, alcohol abuse is a scourge. It damages health, relationships and society. But there is something the dopeheads fail to point out, and it is this: alcohol, in and of itself, if used in a civilised manner, is not the problem. Cannabis use, on the other hand, is immeasurably tiresome, anti-social, arrogant, harmful in many ways, not to mention difficult to consume. With fine motor skills and a lack of patience that make wrapping presents torture, I certainly can't roll joints. I also disparage tobacco, both for its addictive tendencies, its links to serious illness and the fact that it hurts the throat. And, between ourselves, my recollection of inhaling was that I experienced paroxysms of giggling then got the serious munchies. And this is the point: dope, by its very nature, gets you dopey. Spliffs dull the mind, sap ambition. And that 'chilled-out vibe' leads to collective inaction. Alcohol, when consumed responsibly, is a great life enhancer. A merry pub is a place of fabulous communion and societal cohesion, breaking down barriers of class, sex, politics and culture. I don't think you can quite get that in a cannabis café. My alcoholic adventures see me embrace a graceful rise in spirit as the booze flows into my blood stream, lending me a feeling of bonhomie, gently loosening my mind and very often improving the quality of conversation. And while my ale is a perfect match for some pork scratchings and my wine is a marriage made in heaven for my prawns and pasta, the dope smokers are just clustering around the vending machine manically eyeing up the Pringles and wishing someone had some change. Weed's odour is also anti-social. Smoke a joint in public and your neighbours must consume it too. The smell of cannabis wafts down streets, smoked and exhaled by many as an arrogant defiance. It's an invasive and vulgar posturing you don't get with alcohol. My sipping of a crisp Chardonnay respects your space. I can offer you a glass, but my consumption of it doesn't stamp my habit all over and around your person. Wine also provides a never-ending journey of learning and enriching experience. The roads of beer and spirits are similarly complex and enriching. Booze matches food, the grandest moments in life, captures the spirit of travel and brings people together. Cannabis just sends you to sleep. And if you did have a good time you won't remember it anyway. Of course, as I have said, those who become addicted to alcohol cause devastation on the scale of any drug abuser. But the difference is: alcohol misuse is not the fault of the product; it is a symptom of many wider psychological, social and environmental factors. Fortunately, while the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said this week that 'current sentencing for those caught in possession of natural cannabis cannot be justified', the Government is remaining firm. 'We have no intention of reclassifying cannabis from a Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act,' said a Home Office spokesperson.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Police let class A drug users walk free
Half of class A drug users are let off by police without punishment, official figures show. Some 48.1 per cent of people caught in possession of hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, were let off without any criminal sanction, Home Office data analysed by The Telegraph reveals. It represents a six-fold increase in drug users escaping prosecution since 2016, when the proportion was only 7.5 per cent. In some forces, more than 80 per cent caught with cocaine, heroin or other class A drugs escaped any criminal punishment. They were instead handed community resolutions, which do not result in a criminal record and only require an offender to accept 'responsibility' for their crime, or were let off 'in the public interest'. Only a third of class A drug possession offences resulted in a charge. The data reflects a shift by police to treat drug possession of any type as a health issue rather than criminal one and comes days after Sir Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, called for possession of small amounts of natural cannabis to be decriminalised. But critics have warned police against 'decriminalising drugs via the back door by ignoring tens of thousands of offences'. At least a quarter of the 43 police forces in England and Wales have adopted 'diversion' schemes where users caught with small amounts of drugs like cannabis are 'diverted' to treatment or education programmes rather than prosecuted, particularly for first-time offences. Nearly three-quarters (72.1 per cent) of those caught in possession of cannabis were let off without any criminal sanctions. Thames Valley, West Midlands and Durham are among the dozen forces to have adopted diversion schemes, which could be rolled out nationally if successful. The Treasury and Cabinet Office have put £1.9 million into evaluating the approach in partnership with five universities, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, the standards body for forces in England and Wales. The College said the aim of the diversion scheme was to 'reduce re-offending and wider harms by approaching substance use as a health issue rather than a criminal justice issue'. The research will compare re-offending rates, hospital and treatment admissions with the aim of establishing 'whether and how drug diversion works, for whom, when and why'. 'Devastated by soft policy' But Chris Philp, the Tory shadow home secretary, warned the move amounted to decriminalisation by stealth. 'Parliament has rightly legislated that certain drugs are illegal because they cause serious harm to health, lead to antisocial behaviour and fuel acquisitive crime like theft, burglary and shoplifting as addicts steal to fund buying drugs,' he said. 'Police should not be decriminalising drugs via the back door by ignoring tens of thousands of offences. People who break the law should be prosecuted, and a magistrate or judge can decide what to do. 'Options a magistrate has available include fines, community service and addiction treatment requirements as well as prison. 'We have seen many US and Canadian cities devastated by soft drugs policies. These have allowed ghettos to develop where zombified addicts loiter unpunished and law abiding members of the public fear to go. We can't allow the UK to go the same way through weak policing. 'We need a zero tolerance approach to crime, including a zero tolerance approach to drug taking.' But the College of Policing defended approach and pointed to research, based on 16 different studies, that showed drug diversion had resulted in a 'small but significant' reduction in drug use, particularly among young people. The Telegraph analysis showed that Warwickshire had the lowest proportion of offenders caught with class A drugs who were let off, at just 9.2 per cent, while Dyfed Powys had the highest at 88.6 per cent.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
The demoralising effect of letting criminal behaviour go unpunished
SIR – The Mayor of London proposes the decriminalisation of cannabis possession (report, May 28). Why not? Shoplifting, burglary and car crime are already effectively decriminalised, or punished with paltry sentences that are later reduced even further. It's tough luck for those of us who are law-abiding and want justice. Ian Forster Wrenthorpe, West Yorkshire SIR – Some years ago, my wife and I visited Vancouver as part of our honeymoon. We found a beautiful city beset by the all-pervasive stench of cannabis, its streets littered with drug paraphernalia. Around every corner, wide-eyed addicts staggered aimlessly or lay comatose in shop doorways. Is this what Sir Sadiq Khan wants? Stuart Smith Houghton, Norfolk SIR – The Mayor of London has called for cannabis possession to be decriminalised. Obviously, he has never lived with anyone who is addicted to this drug. Moreover, even though enforcement by police has been virtually abandoned, it is widely acknowledged that modern derivatives are far more potent, causing long-lasting psychological damage. Cannabis encourages users to experiment with even stronger and more dangerous drugs, and often leads to criminal behaviour – such as theft – to support addiction. David Woolley Malton, North Yorkshire SIR – I agree with the Mayor of London that the possession of natural cannabis should be decriminalised. Such a move is long overdue. Too often, cannabis prohibition serves as a flimsy pretext for stop-and-search, disproportionately targeting minority communities, and as an excuse for invasive policing. It does little to curb use, while fuelling distrust and criminalising the young. The police, meanwhile, frequently argue for increased funding. A far more efficient solution would be to ease their burden by reducing unnecessary criminalisation. Legalising and regulating cannabis – and taxing it heavily – would not only raise revenue and undercut organised crime, but also free police resources to tackle serious crime. It is time for a pragmatic, proportionate and principled approach to drug policy. K Harvey Proctor Conservative MP, 1979-1987 Grantham, Lincolnshire SIR – If Sir Sadiq Khan is inclined to do something useful for a change, he might get rid of the cycle rickshaws that blight the capital. London would be a much better place if it were free of their unscrupulous drivers and the loud music they blare out. Andrew Robinson Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
