Dealing drugs will still be against the law in the ACT, but police are unlikely to attend venues where patrons are openly using. Photo: Supplied
As the ACT Government moves to ban mobile phones during school hours, it seems the general public is well and truly behind them.
There are a couple of variations on plans to prevent children from using phones during school hours, including bans at specific times and exemptions, but our recent poll showed a huge majority were in favour of getting rid of the devices from the classroom and the playground.
We asked Should the ACT schools ban all phone use during school hours?
Your choices to vote were: No, it’s unnecessary. Teachers need to exercise more authority. This received just 14 per cent of the total, or 96 votes. Alternatively, you could choose to vote Yes, there’s no reason kids need them during school days. This received a whopping 86 per cent of the total, or 610 votes.
This week we’re wondering whether you think the ACT has done the right thing in decriminalising larger quantities of illicit drugs for personal use.
From the end of October, police will fine or divert people in possession of less than 1.5 grams of a wide range of illicit drugs. The intention is harm reduction – but will it work? And who is being most harmed?
On the one hand, there’s broad agreement that people who are habitual hard drug users and often very vulnerable probably aren’t a good fit for the criminal justice system.
People who are struggling with complex co-morbidities need help, not handcuffs, and police have better things to do than arrest them.
On the other hand, there are plenty of recreational users who don’t fit this profile and whose drug use fuels dealing and other problematic behaviours. That’s especially so in entertainment venues where owners can no longer be sure police will attend because possessing heroin, methamphetamines, LSD and ecstasy is no longer automatically grounds for an arrest.
Will recreational users be encouraged by the limits? Will they understand the difference between decriminalisation and legalisation?
Will Newby wrote: “There seems to have been zero consideration for the potential harm, risk to life and property of those who aren’t drug users. Rattenbury seems like a fairly logical guy but he’s complexity lost me on this one, I hope I’m wrong but I don’t see this ending well.”
Elf argued: “What needs to happen is the Government allowing controlled Pharmaceutical production and sale of certain drugs like cannabis, ecstasy, coke and psychedelics. The other drugs remain banned and gaol terms of 25 years minimum for supply or production of any drugs.”
Our poll question this week is:
Loading ...
