Her Linked In Post
I have to admit I was sceptical when asked to speak at the Sydney uni symposium entitled Australia’s Role in Reforming the UN Drug Conventions to Allow Cannabis Regulation.
In recent years the only thing the world can learn about drug policy from Australia is what NOT to do.
But the global drug trade is having devastating impacts on communities, people and even democratic processes. This is especially critical in countries like Columbia where politicians and their supporters are threatened, kidnapped and murdered.
And that is why Columbia was brave in leading the successful push for a landmark review of global drug control policies.
Australia is notorious for ignoring UN conventions that we are signatories to such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) or the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
But the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and The Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1988) seem to be sacrosanct.
They supposedly prevent us from reforming our cannabis laws and regulating the cannabis market rather than leaving it to the criminals. Despite the fact that countries like Canada, Germany, Malta, South Africa have been able to do it.
But the national treasure and global drug reformist Dr Alex Wodak reminded us that our response to HIV and the roll out of needle and syringe exchanges changed UN conventions and introduced harm reduction for the first time.
We must support Columbia and other countries who are beset by the violence, corruption and control of the illicit global drug market and do what we can to see sensible drug law reform that doesn’t rely on failed prohibition models.
Thanks Sean Hocking and Atiyyah Ferouz for organising
https://lnkd.in/gD62AMUi
