“Good People Don’t Smoke Marijuana”: New US Chief Lawyer an Obstacle to Reform
US President Donald Trump has named Jeff Sessions as the US Attorney General, the chief lawyer and prosecutor for the federal government. There are concerns Mr Session’s appointment will mean the end of proposals designed to reduce the US prison...
Buddhist Monk Charged with Commercial Drug Supply
Last Sunday night, senior Buddhist monk U Arsara was driving in his Toyota Kluger from Shwe Baho village in southern Maungdaw district, in the northwestern state of Rakhine, Myanmar. At around 6 pm, he was stopped by police at the...
Legalising Psychedelic Drugs: An Interview with LSD Advocate Greg Kasarik
Greg Kasarik appeared in Melbourne’s Magistrates Court on January 10 this year, on a charge of being in possession of a drug of dependency. Kasarik was arrested on April 19 last year, when he was found in possession of LSD, while he was...
Raids on Medical Marijuana Producers: Making Way for Big Business?
Over the last seven weeks, police have made two high-profile raids of medicinal cannabis producers in Australia. The Ubuntu Wellness Clinic was raided in Newcastle on December 1. NSW police seized 215 plants from a hydroponic operation run by a group called...
From Prisoner to Principal Lawyer: An Interview with Debbie Kilroy
Queensland attorney-general Yvette D’Ath announced the members of the reinstated Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council on November 10 last year. The council works to advise the state government and Court of Appeal on sentencing matters. Amongst the ten members of the council...
Police Against Drug Prohibition: An Interview with LEAP’s Greg Denham
In 2001, the Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) was established in Sydney’s Kings Cross, in response to a spate of heroin overdoses. Ten years on, studies found that the facility had been a resounding success. Ambulance call-outs were down by 80...
Legalise It: An interview with Australian Hemp Party President Michael Balderstone
It’s been a big year for marijuana in Australia. In February, federal parliament passed the Narcotic Drugs Amendment Bill 2016 allowing for the legal cultivation, manufacture and distribution of medicinal cannabis. Under the new system - which came into effect on October...
MDMA Can Cure PTSD: An Interview with Dr Stephen Bright
Most Australians think of MDMA as the illicit party drug ecstasy. Often it’s the main ingredient. However, an ecstasy pill will usually contain a range of substances, such as PMA, which mimics the effect of MDMA, but can be much...
Police Raid Newcastle Medical Marijuana Dispensary
As the use of medical marijuana is fast becoming accepted across Australia, NSW police raided a medicinal cannabis growing dispensary in Newcastle. Last Thursday, 215 plants were seized from a hydroponic operation run by a local group called the Church...
The Netherlands Closes Prisons, While Australia Builds More
As previously reported, the Dutch prison system is suffering a curious problem: they don’t have enough inmates, so they’re closing down prisons. In 2014, the government shutdown 19 facilities, while in 2009, they closed the doors on eight. And in...
