Government’s efforts over the past couple of decades to stop the use of illicit drugs and stop the supply thereof, has been an abysmal failure. There is no point continuing with policies that have not worked and unlikely to work. That’s just downright foolish and a waste of money. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Anonymous
Although Australia has spent decares trying to stop the illegal drug trade and still spends significant amounts of money on it, that trade appears to be increasing. So, other options need to be considered. One is legalising drugs coupled with harsh measures for addicts and those who are a public nuisance. CLA is not suggesting legalising drugs but is suggesting that it is an option that should be explored.
The policy of providing safe injecting rooms & handing out syringes to addicts is a pseudo-intellectual policy that a CLA government will stop. Effectively saying that government should provide hygiene conditions for addicts is not intelligent governance, it is surrendering to decay and reflects a government that has given up on its people. We should not make it easy for them to continue their addiction by providing injecting rooms, clean syringes and welfare payments. People who are unable to work due to their addiction or effectively unemployable, should be sent for compulsory rehabilitation. The same applies to people who, due to their addiction, are living on the streets or found ‘passed out’. This compulsory rehab should be at their cost – funded and paid for in a HECS like approach – repayments starting once a certain income threshold has been achieved.
Repeat offenders, those unable to be rehabilitated, need a long-term solution. This could be living and working on a small multi-faceted farm institutionally managed.