Campbell Newman calls to legalise drugs to stop deaths

The Queensland Government has called on Canberra to take the lead on drug testing, while accusing former premier Campbell Newman of having not taken the issue seriously when in office after his call to legalise drugs in the wake of festival deaths. POLL

ACTING Queensland premier Cameron Dick has called on Canberra to take the lead on drug testing while accusing former premier Campbell Newman of having not taken the issue seriously when in office.

It comes after The Courier-Mail reported Mr Newman reignited calls for all drugs to be legalised following the sixth death at a music festival this summer.

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Alex Ross-King, 19, died after a suspected drug overdose at the Sydney leg of the FOMO Festival on Saturday.

It follows the death of Brisbane’s Josh Tam, 22, also at a separate NSW music festival less than a fortnight ago.

Mr Dick said the State Government wanted the Prime Minister to make his position on controversial pill testing clear.

“Where is Scott Morrison on all this? Where is he on this sort of initiative?,” Mr Dick said on ABC Radio this morning in response to The Courier-Mail’s story.

“We hear all the states talking about it, what’s Scott got to say?”

The acting premier added that he wanted laws to be consistent nationwide, warning that state-based laws on pill testing would create confusion.

“We can’t have pill testing, I don’t think, at an ad hoc fashion around the country,” he said

“It really needs to be led at a national level.”

Mr Dick said there would be no change to the Government’s policy at this stage but they were watching the ACT trial.

Joseph Pham, Josh Tam, Alex Ross-King and Callum Brosnan are among those who have died at festivals in recent months.

“Then we will consider that as a Government.”

When asked where he personally stood on the issue, Mr Dick said he would be guided by the Government.

“My view is that you need to be careful. We already have enough challenges in our community with lawful substances.

“But the reality is there is a growing call for this and we need to keep young people protected. So we need to look carefully at this going forward and I will be guided by my Cabinet colleagues as we make a collective decision going forward, and the Premier.”

Mr Dick also appeared to downplay Campbell Newman’s call to legalise drugs in Queensland, saying the former premier hadn’t acted on the issue while in office.

“Don’t look at what people say, look at what people do.”

“The truth of the matter is that Campbell Newman cut funding to Drug ARM as the premier.”

Acting premier Cameron Dick has called on the PM to step up. Picture: AAP/Richard Waugh

Mr Dick said it wasn’t Mr Newman’s view that mattered but rather the views of the LNP leadership of Deb Frecklington and Tim Mander.

He also said that drug and festival deaths were only part of the problem and that the Government was also focused on reducing the approximately 250 alcohol-related deaths which occur in Queensland every year.

The acting premier’s comments come after Mr Newman told The Courier Mail Australia needed to have a conversation around legalising, regulating and taxing drugs.

He said that would be more beneficial than a pill-testing trial.

“We need to have a conversation about decriminalisation or legalisation,” Mr Newman said. “I really do believe that we’re not getting anywhere at the moment.

“Imagine if we could divert the resources we’re spending on enforcement to public health campaigns.”

The former LNP leader said it was time Queensland got realistic about drugs.

“We will not stop people drinking, we will not stop people taking drugs,” Mr Newman said.

Mr Newman admitted that when he was premier, drug use was not an issue he wanted to talk about. He also conceded his calls for legalisation were unlikely to be popular with either Labor or the LNP, but he said it was a conversation worth having.

When asked whether he thought legalising and controlling the production of drugs would deter criminals from making them, Mr Newman said it would go a long way towards it.

“We’ve got very expensive alcohol and the economics of it are young people are saying it’s cheaper to buy a few pills than to buy a bottle of vodka,” he said.

Mr Newman’s comments have been backed by criminologists, who have linked the surging cost of booze at summer festivals to teens shifting to cheap and potentially deadly party drugs.

With ecstasy pills nearing the cost of a beer, University of Newcastle’s Dr Xanthé Mallett said teenagers were turning to drugs.

NSW authorities have vowed to toughen month-old regulations that include assigning music festivals a risk category — with “extreme” the highest.

Former premier Campbell Newman believes the money spent on law enforcement would be better spent on education programs. Picture: Kym Smith

Events deemed too dangerous will not be allowed to go ahead.

Mr Newman’s comments come after a Brisbane music festival director offered “heartfelt condolences” to the family of a teen who died at one of his events, as former premier Campbell Newman doubled down on suggestions all drugs should be legalised.

Queensland MP Grace Grace has left the door open to legalising drugs as a way to crackdown on substance abuse.

Speaking this morning, the Education Minister said the State Government would take a holistic approach when tackling drugs, and would look at “all the data and all the information”.

“I think legalising at this stage is other reporting, that we need to find the evidence that suggests that when you do that it either minimises harm or minimises risk,” she said.

“But that’s something that we do need to have a look at as well.”

Her comments come after former LNP Premier Campbell Newman doubled-down on his calls for a conversation around legalising drugs in the wake of numerous deaths at music festivals this summer.

“I think that Cabinet will take a holistic approach and it is something that we need to ensure that we get all the data and all the information before the decision is made,” Ms Grace said.

“I’m not sure whether legalising is necessarily the way to go, I think we need the reporting to actually have a very considered decision.”

State Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington has ruled out legalising drugs, putting her at odds with former LNP Premier Campbell Newman.

“There is a reason why drugs are illegal, it is because they kill our kids and they kill people,” Ms Frecklington said.

“I remain firm on this, drugs should be illegal, you shouldn’t just legalise something because crime keeps getting committed.

“What we need to do is fight the scourge of drugs in Queensland.”

Ms Frecklington said she was determined to maintain her stance because drugs “turned good people into bad people and intelligent people into animals”.

“I will not listen to commentators who think otherwise on this I will protect the kids of Queensland and I will protect the people of Queensland because more needs to be done to fight drugs in this state.”

FOMO director Steven Papas. Picture: Liam Kidston

FOMO director and ex-Fortitude Valley nightclub owner Steve Papas expressed his sympathies on Monday, while also defending his festival’s position on drugs.

The statement on the FOMO Facebook page yesterday came after he posted videos from a luxury hotel suite and backstage videos from the festival’s next leg in Melbourne on Sunday, less than 24 hours after Ms Ross-King’s death.

“We are deeply saddened by the death of one of our patrons,” the statement said.

“Our most heartfelt and sincerest condolences go out to her family and friends.

“Our anti-drug messaging began weeks ahead of the event and continued at the event itself — a message we’re proud to deliver.”

Mr Papas did not return calls from The Courier-Mail.