Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Health spokesperson
Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s response to proposed drug law reform in Queensland is deeply disappointing.
After Queensland’s announcement that it is pursuing a policy of giving drug users three chances before facing a criminal charge, the Premier took to Twitter and issued a media release to flex his Government’s strong-armed response against personal drug use.
How has Jeremy Rockliff ended up here?
He once had a reputation for assessing public policy through a lens of improving people’s lives, but now seems just a carbon copy of his conservative Cabinet colleagues.
The Premier knows well the overwhelming evidence shows his hardline, criminalised approach to managing personal drug use leads to worse outcomes for individuals and the community. He knows the so-called ‘war on drugs’ has failed, and that we need a new approach.
Rather than showing some leadership and adopting the policy approach that will make a genuine difference to the lives of Tasmanians, to the justice system, to the health system, and to our capacity to combat organised crime, Jeremy Rockliff has chosen to play gross politics with the issue of drug policy.
Given the Premier’s track record since taking over the top job, we’re not entirely surprised to see him chest thumping about a ‘hardline’ drug policy – but it doesn’t make it any less disappointing.