In briefing notes forwarded to Mr Turnbull on November 12 via...

In briefing notes forwarded to Mr Turnbull on November 12 via his Australian adviser, David Ryan, Sir Richard spoke of the "enormous momentum" towards decriminalisation which in recent months had seen countries, including Ireland, Canada and Mexico, flag radical shifts in drug legislation.
"Drug use should be treated as a health issue, not as a crime. While the vast majority of recreational drug users never experience any problems, people who struggle with drug addiction deserve access to treatment, not a prison cell," he said.
Sir Richard added that, combined with harm-reduction efforts, decriminalisation of drug possession for personal use would "save lives" because people would no longer "fear arrest and punishment when accessing healthcare services".
He noted that since Australia's National Drug Strategy was launched in 1985, it had "always prioritised harm reduction" alongside supply and demand policies.


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