Put a Rest on Arrests
Collaborative work with Hay Kam and Adelia Jovani
The CIJ’s objective is to develop, drive and expand the capacity of the justice system to meet and adapt to the needs of its diverse users. CIJ commits to supporting marginalised individuals in unfair judicial systems. Since the mid-80s, Australia has (on paper) taken a harm minimisation approach to dealing with drugs. However, 66% of funding goes to law enforcement and 32% to treatment, prevention and harm reduction. This means that Australia is still focused on reducing supply, despite evidence that there are other wiser steps to take. An equal amount of funding and attention should be given to harm reduction.Balanced funding and support should be provided to all three aspects of Australia's National Drug Strategy. Youth are ignorant of their rights due to the emphasis on law enforcement.Despite many reports of drug busts and seizures, Australia still has one of the highest rates of illicit drug use in the world. These activities do little except deter youth from meaningful conversation about harm reduction and scare away those who may want to seek help.We want to foster a dialogue with youth about their sentiment towards drug policies in Australia. Widespread awareness allows us to pressure policy makers to rebalance their support and funding for harm reduction through public petitions and support.
