Injecting Centre legitimised
The MSIC has finally passed ten years of testing and will be given a degree of certainty.
Premier Kristina Keneally announced the move yesterday, ending a pattern in which legislation had to be passed regularly to maintain funding for the Centre. An incoming Coalition government could have finished the Centre by simply doing nothing, a possibility given fierce opposition from far right Christians in the Liberals led by MLC David Clarke. This faction advocates a moralistic zero tolerance enforcement approach, arguing that the Centre legitimises and perpetuates drug use.
But founding Director of the Centre Dr Ingrid van Beek commented on 702 radio that such moral objectors “would rather see people dead than addicted – really I’ve never gotten that.”
Wayside Chapel Pastor Graham Long then joined other drug law reformers on the national AM program calling for an end to the War on Drugs, which he said had failed.
“There is no shortage of drugs,” he said. “You can buy anything you want at any time. Give me a minute and I’ll be back with anything you like.”
Dr Alex Wodak from St Vincent’s hospital said the global drug trade was worth $320 billion a year which gave drug dealers more resources than law enforcement.
by Michael Gormly
