The Drugs of Dependence (Personal Possession) Amendment Act 2022, which was passed a year ago, comes into force on  October 28 when penalties for personal possession of small amounts of the most commonly used illicit drugs  – such as amphetamine, cocaine, methylamphetamine and heroin – will be reduced in the ACT.

The government says the changes have been made with extensive consultation and input from policy experts, local and national drug and alcohol sector advocates, service providers, ACT government directorates and ACT Policing. The reform aims to reduce stigma around drug use to encourage people who use drugs to access health services.

“This was always terrible policy,” says Liberal police spokesman Jeremy Hanson. “It is reckless, it is dangerous and it should never have been pushed through without the support of the community and the stakeholders.

“Now, we have heard secret recordings of the Health Minister boasting about how they ‘quietly’ snuck it through, then used dodgy process in the Assembly to avoid scrutiny and comment.

“Even more concerning are the comments from police saying that, when they once would intervene if they witnessed someone using drugs, they wouldn’t be doing that now.

“We have both the AFP and Border Force saying they prefer a staged, co-ordinated process. And we have a GP who has openly said: ‘At the coalface, we have absolutely no chance of getting these people into programs. That is where the system will let these people down.’

“The fact is the government does not have a mandate for this policy, and does not have support from major stakeholders.

“There is no pressing need to ram these laws through, except to avoid public scrutiny. But there is every reason to delay and get a mandate from the people, and to ensure that stakeholders are prepared.”