The Victoria Green Party [11] unveiled its new drug policy platform [12] Monday and is now calling for prescription heroin trials for long-term addicts and the establishment of safe injection sites like the one in Sydney. But those were only the most controversial proposals in a platform heavy on harm reduction measures.
The new platform also calls for an end to criminal penalties for drug users and notes that the Greens believe in a regulated framework for currently illegal drugs, but does not call for outright legalization and would keep penalties for the production, sale, or trafficking of drugs. The platform also addresses legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco and seeks tighter restrictions on them.
The proposals would "minimize the harm and save lives," said Victoria Greens upper house candidate Colleen Hartland Monday as she unveiled the platform at a needle exchange facility in Footscray. "Current approaches are not working, so it is time to step back from the emotional debate and work to implement programs that will effectively tackle the problems associated with legal and illegal drugs," Hartland said.
But for the Greens program to be implemented, it will have to win support in the state legislative assembly. Currently, it is controlled by the Australian Labor Party, and the Greens have no seats.