Victoria needs to get smarter on drugs.
Thousands of Victorians smoke cannabis each year.
For 50 years, Victorians – especially marginalised communities – have been more at risk from the policing response, than the drugs we take.
Shifting to a health-based approach accepts the reality that many people in our community use drugs. It’s the first essential step to reducing drug harm.
The Greens' plan for drugs includes:
- Decriminalise personal drug use – directing people who use drugs to health services for help, not prison for harm.
- Legalise, tax and regulate cannabis to turn people away from the black market, because prohibition causes more harm than good.
- Mobile pill testing services at live music events and at a fixed site, linking to a state-wide public drug early-warning system.
- Provide 200 new permanent detox and drug rehab beds.
- Expand and fund Opioid Replacement Therapy to treat addiction.
- Fund education, prevention and awareness activities.
Independent costing of the Greens Health led approach to drug use shows we will be able to save $1.46 billion over 10 years by legalising and regulating cannabis, and decriminalising drug use.
That’s a huge new investment we can make in health, education and harm reduction.
The Federal Greens have announced they have the constitutional advice to just legalise it, and now the Victorian Greens have the financial modelling to show some of the benefits.
Find out more about the Victorian Greens Plan in The Guardian.
Learn more about how we will pay for our policies