{"id":2016327,"date":"2023-08-30T02:27:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T06:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/decriminalising-heroin-cocaine-can-only-lead-to-one-outcome-for-the-community\/"},"modified":"2023-08-30T02:31:29","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T06:31:29","slug":"decriminalising-heroin-cocaine-can-only-lead-to-one-outcome-for-the-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/decriminalising-heroin-cocaine-can-only-lead-to-one-outcome-for-the-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Decriminalizing heroin and cocaine will inevitably impact the community."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdecriminalising-heroin-cocaine-can-only-lead-to-one-outcome-for-the-community%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2016327&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Commentary<\/h2>\n<p>Drugs are a \u2062scourge that destroys families and communities.<\/p>\n<p>No\u200b matter how one seeks to\u2064 dress up the facts and\u200b legacy of drug use, it paints an unacceptably ugly picture. The toll on the individual and society \u200cis huge.<\/p>\n<p>Armed with these indisputable facts, the Australian Capital Territory\u2019s (ACT) Labor-Greens government \u2062has made the \u2064controversial decision to decriminalise hard\u200b drug \u2062use \u200bin \u201csmall\u201d quantities.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/authorities-criticise-move-to-decriminalise-use-of-cocaine-heroin-and-ice-in-canberra-5482238\">Police Criticise Move to Decriminalise Cocaine, Heroin, and Ice in Canberra<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/28\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/authorities-criticise-move-to-decriminalise-use-of-cocaine-heroin-and-ice-in-canberra-5482238\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/melbourne-criminal-syndicate-charged-for-allegedly-importing-firearms-hiding-drugs-in-slot-machines-5471677\">Melbourne \u2062Criminal Syndicate Charged for Allegedly Importing\u2064 Firearms, Hiding Drugs in Slot Machines<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/17\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/melbourne-criminal-syndicate-charged-for-allegedly-importing-firearms-hiding-drugs-in-slot-machines-5471677\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s all \u200bin the name of harm minimisation and the chant that drug use (read abuse) is a health issue and not a criminal one.<\/p>\n<p>How can any authority responsibly assert\u2063 that drug use \u2063in\u2062 small amounts is something equal to a parking offence?<\/p>\n<p>Under the proposed laws, which will come into effect in the ACT in late October 2023, being caught\u2063 with a small quantity \u200dof drugs will see you receive a civil, that is non-criminal, penalty \u200bof $100 (US$65).<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/decriminalising-heroin-cocaine-can-only-lead-to-one-outcome-for-the-community\/\" title=\"Decriminalizing heroin and cocaine will inevitably impact the community.\">lowest parking infringement fine<\/a> in the \u2063ACT is $125\u200d and can be \u200das high as $625.<\/p>\n<p>Which begs the question\u2014which behavior \u200dis more destructive,\u200c overstaying in a parking zone\u200d or drug taking?<\/p>\n<p>The ACT\u200b government clearly believes the former because a doctor running late is a more \u200cegregious offense than drug taking.<\/p>\n<p>The new penalty regime also \u200dprovides an\u200d insight into the thinking (if that is what it can be called) of the ACT government.<\/p>\n<p>To send a message that any amount of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, or cannabis use is neither here nor there is at best \u200dreckless and at worst criminal.<\/p>\n<p>Make no mistake, lives will be \u2063wrecked on the back of this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/google-artificial-intelligence-team-draws-from-critical-race-theory-internal-document-shows\/\" title=\"Google Artificial Intelligence Team Draws From Critical Race Theory, Internal Document Shows\">short-sighted decision<\/a>, especially that of young people.<\/p>\n<p>The avalanche of evidence indicating that even one\u200c dabble in drugs can forever change a person\u2019s mental well-being should be enough to continue the message that we need\u2062 to be tough on drugs to protect the \u200dmembers of\u200b our community.<\/p>\n<p>The mind-altering nature of drugs, and let\u2019s \u2064remember that is why people take \u2062drugs and are cajoled into trying \u200dthem, is horrific.<\/p>\n<p>They momentarily take people out of the real world with\u200c long-lasting behavioral\u200d and \u200cphysical consequences. At a time of high mental health issues and\u200b suicide, \u200bnot to mention violence, the last thing any legislator\u200b should be doing is knowingly making that situation worse by pretending drug taking is not a serious issue with all its devastation.<\/p>\n<h2>In the \u2063End, the Taxpayer Will Bear the Cost<\/h2>\n<p>Bureaucrats and \u200doffice-bound researchers may have their theoretical constructs \u2063as to why their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/microsoft-will-suspend-donations-to-any-gop-lawmakers-who-challenged-2020-election-results\/\" title=\"Microsoft Will Suspend Donations to Any GOP Lawmakers Who Challenged 2020 Election Results\">latest move<\/a> to go soft on drugs is a societal good. \u2062However, the lived experience of places like Portland, Oregon where this has been tried may be instructive.<\/p>\n<p>The cost to the health \u200bsystem is phenomenal. The \u2064ACT will not be immune.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, ACT taxpayers\u200d will be footing the bill for the extra health costs\u200b which will surely follow this despicable decision.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from health are the\u2062 crime\u200b aspects which will also permeate the Canberra area.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200c Australian Federal Police have rightly called\u2063 out this change and the challenges their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-sens-if-police-reform-is-going-to-happen-must-be-before-july\/\" title=\"GOP Sens.: If police reform is going to happen, must be before July\">front-line officers<\/a> will face. \u200dThe fear that notorious dealers from other areas \u200cof Australia will come to the ACT as it is more conducive to their business model cannot be ignored.<\/p>\n<p>Will the change\u2062 in \u200dthe law see people from neighboring states \u2064come \u2064to the ACT\u2064 for a weekend of drug-fueled partying? Yes, very likely. And in the end, the costs will be\u2064 borne by ACT residents.<\/p>\n<p>As for the old chestnut, that prohibition&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Commentary: Drugs devastate families and communities, leaving behind an unacceptable and ugly reality. The toll on individuals and society is immense. In light of these undeniable facts, the ACT&#8217;s Labor-Greens government has chosen to decriminalize hard drugs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2261,"featured_media":2016328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2016327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2261"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2016327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2016327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2016328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2016327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2016327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2016327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}