ACT Liberals make last-gasp bid to thwart drug decriminalisation

The ACT Liberals will make a last-ditch attempt on Tuesday to prevent small quantities of illicit drugs being decriminalised, moving a motion to have the policy delayed until after the 2024 election.

ACT opposition police spokesman Jeremy Hanson. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

The ACT Liberals will make a last-ditch attempt on Tuesday to prevent the decriminalisation of possession of small quantities of ice, cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs, moving a motion to have the policy delayed until after the 2024 election.

A softening of the Territory’s drug laws, to take effect on October 28, will make Canberra the first city in the country to decriminalise illicit substances in a bid to divert people away from the justice system and increase their help-seeking behaviour.

But in the wake of concerns raised by the Australian Border Force, Australian Federal Police, the ACT Pharmacy Guild and several doctors, opposition police spokesman Jeremy Hanson said it was incumbent on the Territory government to at least delay the implementation of the policy.

“The fact is the government does not have a mandate for this policy, and does not have support from major stakeholders,” Mr Hanson said.

“There is no pressing need to ram these laws through, except to avoid public scrutiny. But there is every reason to delay and get a mandate from the people, and to ensure that stakeholders are prepared.”

Mr Hanson’s motion – seen by The Australian – calls on the government to delay until December 2024 the commencement and operation of its legislation decriminalising illicit drugs.

The move follows The Australian revealing comments by ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith last month that her government took the idea of decriminalising hard drugs to the election “quietly” and used a private member’s bill to “quickly” pass the laws.

“This was always terrible policy,” Mr Hanson said. “It is reckless, it is dangerous and it should never have been pushed through without the support of the community and the stakeholders.

“We have both the AFP and Border Force saying they prefer a staged, co-ordinated process.”

The motion is unlikely to be successful given the government has the majority in the Assembly.

Ms Stephen-Smith has defended Labor’s policy, which she said had involved years of consultation and a significant evidence base.

“The ACT government considers that alcohol and other drug policies should be based on evidence. Research indicates that drug use is not strongly linked to on-paper levels of punishment for personal possession,” she told The Australian last week.

“Many factors influence drug use, including the availability of drugs, their price, the perceived likelihood of getting caught, knowledge of the health risks, the reputation of specific drugs, and more general trends in drug use and youth culture.

“Diversion options for possession offences have been available in the ACT for many years and drug use has trended downwards over that time.”