Submission to Victorian Parliamentary Committee
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LRRCSC - INQUIRY INTO DRUG LAW REFORM RECEIVED 16 MAY 2017 SUBMISSION NO. 226 SUBMISSION TO VICTORIAN PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE REVIEW OF DRUG LAWS FROM MARTHA TSAMIS LICENSEE OF INFLATION AND CHASERS NIGHTCLUBS & MEMBER OF THE STEERING COMMITTEES OF THE MELBOURNE AND STONNINGTON LICENSEE ACCORDS 1 Table of Contents Executive Summary and Recommendations ...........................................6 Objective Assessment and Rating of Drugs According to Multidimensional Criteria6 Victoria Police combative approach making the problem worse............................. 10 Liquor Licensing and Alcohol Related Reforms ....................................................... 11 The recommendations important to this inquiry include:...................................... 12 Improving the relationships and information exchange between the Liquor License Forums (LLF) with Police, the VCGLR and Municipal Councils . 12 Use of Patron ID Scanners.................................................................................... 12 The use of these systems is currently voluntary .................................................. 12 1. Abandon quick fixes such as lockouts ........................................................... 12 2. A strong focus be placed on the offender ...................................................... 13 3. Public alcohol and drug awareness and harm minimisation ......................... 13 4. Public awareness campaigns ......................................................................... 13 5. Quality ‘real time’ statistical analysis .............................................................. 13 Primary Prevention – Youth...................................................................................... 13 1. Tertiary and secondary school students should be educated on their responsibilities when they go out at night ............................................................. 13 2. Public awareness campaigns be introduced nationally in mainstream and social media targeting antisocial and violent behaviour ....................................... 14 3. Parental childhood education, support and early intervention ...................... 14 4. Police, Local Government, Youth and Alcohol and Drug Agencies .............. 14 5. Police, Local Government, Youth and Alcohol and Drug Agencies .............. 14 6. Drug and Alcohol Harm Minimisation Awareness programs for young people 15 7. Encouraging Victoria Police to return to community programs ..................... 15 Introduction ........................................................................................... 15 My Management Practices and Strong Anti-Drug Policies and Campaigns ........................................................................................... 18 Social media .......................................................................................................... 20 Increased liaison and communication with venues .............................................. 21 Less conspicuous plainclothes police inside venues ........................................... 21 Community Policing and Youth Services .............................................................. 21 Victoria Police Policy on Illicit Drugs and Entertainment Venues........... 21 The Australia21Report .......................................................................... 23 Conclusion ............................................................................................ 25 Appendix 1 ............................................................................................ 26 Nearly half of all drivers killed last year had been drinking or taking drugs ............ 26 2 Appendix 2 ............................................................................................ 28 Drug-drivers now more prominent than drink-drivers, with 30pc of fatal road accidents involving drugs, research says ................................................................ 28 Appendix 3 ............................................................................................ 30 Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer 'disturbed' by road safety blitz results .......... 30 Appendix 4 ............................................................................................ 31 Crims Testing Positive To Drugs In Prison Higher Than Ever ................................ 31 Appendix 5 ............................................................................................ 33 Our Prisons Are Full Of Prisoners High On Drugs .................................................. 33 Appendix 6 ............................................................................................ 34 Behind Australia's love affair with illicit drugs .......................................................... 34 Appendix 7 ............................................................................................ 38 Top cop slams Australia’s drug use as a ‘national disgrace’................................... 38 Appendix 8 ............................................................................................ 39 The 'war on drugs' has failed, and Australia must change its policies .................... 39 Appendix 9 ............................................................................................ 41 The real killer in our nightclubs: dumb drug laws .................................................... 41 Appendix 10 .......................................................................................... 43 New approach needed to tackle harm illicit drugs cause in Australia ..................... 43 Appendix 11 .......................................................................................... 45 A number of people partying at Chapel Street hospitalised after bad drugs .......... 45 Appendix 12 .......................................................................................... 45 Stonnington Liquor Form Extraordinary Meeting ..................................................... 45 Q – Was the situation local or from outside Stonnington? ...................................... 46 Q – Are the drugs still around? ................................................................................. 46 Q – How was the substance different? .................................................................... 46 Q – If Police are pursuing a harm minimisation approach why aren’t they sharing more information about the substance? ................................................................... 46 Q – Venue staff are required to complete RSA. Is VicPol going to provide practical strategies / techniques regarding drugs? ................................................................. 47 Communication suggestions ................................................................................. 47 Police Presence ..................................................................................................... 47 Synthetic weed dealing ......................................................................................... 48 Q - Police don’t seem to know what to do. Is there a course for them? ................. 49 Q – Is there a preferred first aid course for assisting drug affected people?.......... 49 Appendix 13 .......................................................................................... 52 Police defend decision not to warn public of new drug after Melbourne club deaths ................................................................................................................................... 52 Appendix 14 .......................................................................................... 55 Rogue nightclubs face sanctions from police .......................................................... 55 3 Appendix 15 .......................................................................................... 57 Responding To Drugs : Venue Operators................................................................ 57 Appendix 16 .......................................................................................... 61 Ice use doubled in Melbourne suburbs in past year, survey finds .......................... 61 Are 80,000 Victorians using ice? .............................................................................. 63 Naltrexone implants a possible solution to Australia's ice epidemic ...... 63 Inflated sense of ice problem.................................................................................... 65 Ice addict reveals struggle: Not all meth addicts are 'down-and-outs with missing teeth' ........................................................................................ 65 Inflated sense of ice problem.................................................................................... 67 Appendix 17 .......................................................................................... 69 The war on drugs is a losing battle .......................................................................... 69 Appendix 18 .......................................................................................... 71 Jeff Kennett backs drug decriminalisation in Australia, says current approach 'not good enough'............................................................................................................. 71 Appendix 19 .......................................................................................... 74 $5 MILLION IS BEING DONATED TOWARDS MDMA BEING USED MEDICALLY ..................................................................................................................................