Letter to Courier Mail Matthew Fynes-Clinton

Dear Matthew Fynes-Clinton
Courier Mail
Brisbane

On the 4-5th April 2009 your newspaper the Courier Mail ran an article The Drugs Scourge, Fast-Acting Remedy. The Courier-Mail outlined five steps to “help fix the deadly ‘party drug’ problem.”

The Burdekin Community Action Group Against Crime (BCAGAC) would like to lend it’s weight and support your article. In particular now that the State Election is over we will be writing to the relevant Ministers in support of your article. We would welcome any further work you have done on this article and any feedback you have received from the public or relevant Ministers of the Queensland Government.

We would like to offer the following suggestions in support:

1 Schools. Reverse the culture of ignorance in which teachers turn a blind eye to drug use. The government could support this by introducing random drug testing of high school students and make it part of the curriculum that high school students learn about the dangers of party drugs. Random drug testing is now part and parcel of many work places and also part of professional sport.

2.Police and Crime. Start arresting and detaining drug dealers rather than issuing them with a summons. Our group supports this suggestion and the introduction of harsher penalties especially for repeat offenders.

3. Hospital and Rehab. Make treatment more accessible and change voluntary admission rules. The Government has to acknowledge that drug addiction has an affect on society in general, the addict is not just harming himself or herself but is also causing a lot of pain and distress to society and their the immediate family. Members of the addicts immediate family should be allowed to submit impact statements on how their life is being affected and why they feel that the addict should be made to undergo rehabilitation.

4. Lawmakers. Change import laws and ban blackmarket pill presses. We support this move and any move that advocates a zero tolerance to illegal drugs of addiction. The sale of these drugs is not to enhance people’s fun but to get them addicted and make an easy living for drug pushers.

5. Pubs and Clubs. Time for owners to stand up and act to clean up their venues. The answer to this is easy but needs political will. Random drug testing should be introduced at licensed venues and owners given the power to refuse entry to patrons who test positive. Currently the State Prisons, makes people visiting prisoners undergo an arm swab visitor to see if they have been using or handling drugs.