Drug Reforms? More Like Drugs Deform

An empty syringe sits on a sidewalk in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Commentary

Talk about “drug reform” should always start with the recognition that non-medically prescribed drugs deform.

Drug use unrelated to medical conditions nearly always deforms and harms health.

Surely the Queensland government is aware of that truth. So why does it want to make life easier for the drug pedlars and their hapless clients?

All Australians feel a sense of anguish and pity for those of their fellow citizens who are hooked on the scourge of drugs. They do so because of the devastation visited upon the drug user.

It is never pretty. It is only ever ugly.

The only topic for discussion is the degree of ugliness. From wasted money, to changed personality, to inability to hold down employment and wrecked relationships the trail of devastation that awaits upon drug use is huge.

It is because of this undisputed trail of devastation that has rightly led our public policy thinkers to criminalising drug usage and selling. The laws are designed to protect the individual and the public.

Most people know of a case of a ruined life courtesy of drugs, where it all started with that first “fun try.”

Drug pedlars are nothing but merchants of death who prey on people’s vulnerabilities. Their business model is severely hampered when their potential clients know they could be brought before the criminal justice system and have a conviction against their name.

Yet with all this lived experience, we have the Queensland government sending a message to the community that possession of small quantities of illicit drugs will not lead to prosecution. Indeed, you can be caught three times before things might get a bit serious.

The deterrent for a potential user is thereby removed.

In this photo a medic holds used doses of a dangerous drug after medics revived a man who had overdosed. Brian Snyder/Reuters

You can hear the drug pedlar now, “Don’t worry. It’s just harmless fun and will give you an experience of exhilaration like you’ve never experienced before. And by the way if you get caught there will be no criminal consequences.”

That false salesmanship pitch must have an impact to the detriment of our society—youth in particular. If just one extra life is ruined because of the Queensland government’s move to decriminalise drug use it would be too high a price.

The move to give drug users the opportunity of “treatment” if caught in possession is in itself a good thing but should not come at the expense of removing criminal responsibility.

Shouldn’t Wellbeing Come First With Drugs Too?

Our society has taken a very strong road safety stance by requiring provisional driver licence holders to have zero alcohol in their body whilst driving. The stated view is that zero tolerance is the only approach to remind newly licensed drivers that alcohol and driving is not a good mix.

Objectively, the evidence would suggest that a low reading of .01 percent is hardly likely to occasion any risk to the provisional driver or the public. Yet our community has taken a strong safety-first approach.

A bottle of beer sits on the roof of a car at a DUI checkpoint in Miami, Fla., on Dec. 15, 2006. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

When it comes to mind-altering drugs with very serious long-term side effects, the so-called enlightened approach is to ignore the evidence and safety-first principle in favour of relaxing the laws to the detriment of the individual and society at large.

One of the rationales provided for the change is that it will ease the burden for police and help them avoid being called “racist.” Yes, seriously, that was one of the “reasons” provided by a so-called expert in the field.

One wonders if the same rationale could be applied to low alcohol breathalyser readings. Of course it could, and it explodes the attempt to clothe such change with respectability.

An alternative to the current system of law enforcement might be the trialling of a system whereby the user is required to name the supplier and so on up the chain to enable law enforcement agencies to deal with the big fish in the game.

But make no mistake, every single person engaged in the distribution of illicit drugs is knowingly profiteering at the expense of the financial, mental, and physical well-being of their fellow Australian.

And while there may be a saving to the police budget, which was advanced as a reason to change the law, the extra cost for the diversionary approach with clinics and health workers does not seem to be factored in.

With overstretched health services battling to attend to the community’s needs, an influx of drug users will hardly be of assistance. Such a change of priorities is hard to comprehend.

The simple message is—drugs deform. The proposed reforms will only see more lives devastated.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.