Doctors in Australia have called on the New South Wales (NSW) government to take action on instituting a drug law reform and saving lives.
This comes after Queensland Government became the latest jurisdiction to expand police drug diversion programs for people carrying small amounts of illicit drugs.
According to a new report from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, there were 1,788 drug-induced deaths Australia-wide in 2021, an equivalent of five drug-induced deaths every day. The primary opioids involved in overdose deaths are natural and semi-synthetic pharmaceutical opioids, including morphine and oxycodone, followed by heroin.
Every Australian jurisdiction, except New South Wales, offers police the discretion to send a person to a diversion program rather than pursue criminal charges for at least their “first strike” of minor possession of illicit drugs….