In a discussion that covered everything from lock-out laws to methadone treatment programs, the undercurrent remained the same: addiction is not solely an individual problem, it is also a social issue.
Nikki Woolley from the Australian Drug Foundation advocated for the preventative approach. “If people feel like they have a place and a connection, they are generally healthier,” she said.
Roundtable participants were unanimous in favouring treatment over punishment for individual addicts. The language of war and subsequent stigmatisation of addicts was seen to only further harm the individual, distancing them from important social connections with the broader community.
The attendees also acknowledged the differences between addiction and drug use, of both legal and illegal drugs, and the arbitrary lines defined by policy.
Gideon Warhaft, co-founder of Unharm, a not-for-profit that campaigns for drug law reform and harm reduction, pointed out the shortcomings of current government policies. “Prohibition has been a complete policy disaster,” he said.
The potential effects of decriminalisation were also discussed. The economic incentives seemed clear: redirect the exhaustive losses of the “war” to treatment and education programs, and tax the drugs to provide a new revenue stream, as is the case for tobacco and alcohol.
However, it was the social benefits to ending the universal prohibit and punish approach that resonated deeper with the crowd.
“There will always be a part of the population that has a propensity to addiction,” Mr Warhaft said, “but that’s okay, we just have to manage that.”
