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Lindy Kerin reported this story on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 08:15:00
One of Australia's leading drug experts has told a Sydney forum that the war on drugs has failed miserably. Dr Alex Wodak says there's no shortage of drugs on the streets and spending billions of dollars on drug law enforcement is a futile exercise. -->
TONY EASTLEY: One of Australia's leading drug experts has told a Sydney forum that the war on drugs in Australia has failed miserably.Dr Alex Wodak says there's no shortage of drugs on the streets and spending billions of dollars on drug law enforcement is a futile exercise.He says Australia needs to develop a more sensible, evidence-based public health approach towards drugs policies, and take note of experiences overseas.Lindy Kerin reports.LINDY KERIN: The war on drugs is a battle that's been lost according to Dr Alex Wodak, the director of the Alcohol and Drug Service at the St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney.ALEX WODAK: It's really surprising that we should even think the war on drugs could work because what we've got at the moment is a kilogram in heroin in Bangkok costs about $1000, by the time it gets to Kings Cross that same kilogram of heroin costs about a quarter of a million dollars.The drug trade now has an annual turnover, estimated by the United Nations of over $US320 billion a year, US dollars a year, and that means that the drug traffickers have got more resources at their disposal than the drug law enforcement has. So how on earth are we going to keep the drug trade under control?LINDY KERIN: Dr Wodak says global production of heroin more than doubled between 1990 and 2007. Cocaine increased by 20 per cent and Cannabis by 36 per cent.The president of the Drug Law Reform Foundation says a new approach is needed and Australia should follow the lead of other countries, like Portugal which has decriminalised the use of all drugs.ALEX WODAK: Spain and Italy have gone down the same road, maybe not quite as far as Portugal, Germany and The Netherlands have had the same kind of effect, but not by legislative change, but by direction to police. So there's half a dozen countries in Europe, if you also include Switzerland which has really made this a health and social issue and decreased the ridiculous over-emphasis on the law enforcement side, and then there are half a dozen countries in South America that have moved in the same kind of direction. So all together we've got around about a dozen countries now that are really starting to engage in looking at the options after the war on drugs.LINDY KERIN: Pastor Graham Long works at the Wayside Chapel in Sydney's Kings Cross and sees the harm caused by drugs on a daily basis. He agrees the war has been lost.GRAHAM LONG: There's no shortage of drugs, for all this effort, drugs aren't going away, you can buy anything you want anytime. Gimme a minute I'll be right back, tell me what you want.LINDY KERIN: Pastor Long says it's time to overhaul current drug policies and he's putting forward some radical suggestions.GRAHAM LONG: I think the way forward is to treat this thing, this will sound a little bit odd probably, as an economic problem and to take a market away from a criminal class by taking the business over. TONY EASTLEY: Pastor Graham Long from the Wayside Chapel in Sydney's Kings Cross in that report prepared by Lindy Kerin.
Lindy Kerin reported this story on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 08:15:00
One of Australia's leading drug experts has told a Sydney forum that the war on drugs has failed miserably. Dr Alex Wodak says there's no shortage of drugs on the streets and spending billions of dollars on drug law enforcement is a futile exercise. -->
TONY EASTLEY: One of Australia's leading drug experts has told a Sydney forum that the war on drugs in Australia has failed miserably.Dr Alex Wodak says there's no shortage of drugs on the streets and spending billions of dollars on drug law enforcement is a futile exercise.He says Australia needs to develop a more sensible, evidence-based public health approach towards drugs policies, and take note of experiences overseas.Lindy Kerin reports.LINDY KERIN: The war on drugs is a battle that's been lost according to Dr Alex Wodak, the director of the Alcohol and Drug Service at the St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney.ALEX WODAK: It's really surprising that we should even think the war on drugs could work because what we've got at the moment is a kilogram in heroin in Bangkok costs about $1000, by the time it gets to Kings Cross that same kilogram of heroin costs about a quarter of a million dollars.The drug trade now has an annual turnover, estimated by the United Nations of over $US320 billion a year, US dollars a year, and that means that the drug traffickers have got more resources at their disposal than the drug law enforcement has. So how on earth are we going to keep the drug trade under control?LINDY KERIN: Dr Wodak says global production of heroin more than doubled between 1990 and 2007. Cocaine increased by 20 per cent and Cannabis by 36 per cent.The president of the Drug Law Reform Foundation says a new approach is needed and Australia should follow the lead of other countries, like Portugal which has decriminalised the use of all drugs.ALEX WODAK: Spain and Italy have gone down the same road, maybe not quite as far as Portugal, Germany and The Netherlands have had the same kind of effect, but not by legislative change, but by direction to police. So there's half a dozen countries in Europe, if you also include Switzerland which has really made this a health and social issue and decreased the ridiculous over-emphasis on the law enforcement side, and then there are half a dozen countries in South America that have moved in the same kind of direction. So all together we've got around about a dozen countries now that are really starting to engage in looking at the options after the war on drugs.LINDY KERIN: Pastor Graham Long works at the Wayside Chapel in Sydney's Kings Cross and sees the harm caused by drugs on a daily basis. He agrees the war has been lost.GRAHAM LONG: There's no shortage of drugs, for all this effort, drugs aren't going away, you can buy anything you want anytime. Gimme a minute I'll be right back, tell me what you want.LINDY KERIN: Pastor Long says it's time to overhaul current drug policies and he's putting forward some radical suggestions.GRAHAM LONG: I think the way forward is to treat this thing, this will sound a little bit odd probably, as an economic problem and to take a market away from a criminal class by taking the business over. TONY EASTLEY: Pastor Graham Long from the Wayside Chapel in Sydney's Kings Cross in that report prepared by Lindy Kerin.
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