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NSW government rejects pill testing, more injecting rooms
By Kate Aubusson and Alexandra Smith
The Berejiklian government will reject five key recommendations from its inquiry into the drug ice, including more supervised injecting centres, pill testing and retiring its drug detection dogs.
But the remaining 104 recommendations, including the decriminalisation of the personal use of ice and other illicit drugs, is still being considered.
The Berejiklian has released the final report from its inquiry into the drug ice. Credit: Shannon Morris
On Thursday the government released the four-volume report and its interim response a month after the inquiry’s findings were delivered by Commissioner Professor Dan Howard.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the government would not support the inquiry’s recommendations to open more medically supervised injecting centres, run needle and syringe programs in prisons, allow consumer substance testing (more commonly known as pill testing) and stop using drug detection dogs.
"The government will consider the remaining recommendations from the inquiry in consultation with stakeholders and will prepare a final response before the end of the year," Mr Hazzard said.
"The government wishes to acknowledge all those with lived experience, their families and friends, along with the broad range of experts, health practitioners and service providers who contributed to the special commission."
The report was released ahead of a motion by Greens MP Cate Faehrmann which was due to go to the upper house on Thursday that would have forced the government to make it public by Monday.
It is the culmination of months of harrowing evidence from health and judicial experts, as well as families and communities affected by crystal methamphetamine and other amphetamine-type stimulants across NSW.
In October, counsel assisting the ice inquiry urged Professor Howard to recommend that the use and possession of ice and other illicit drugs be decriminalised in NSW under a public health-focused drug policy aimed at minimising harm.
In January, the NSW Greens vowed to introduce a bill this year to decriminalise illicit drug use.