❓ Hon. Sally Talbot questions the Attorney General regarding treating methamphetamine use as a medical issue rather than a criminal one. The Attorney General acknowledges the issue's complexity, involving both medical and criminal aspects, and outlines the government's approach.
AnsweredQoN 221Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
METHAMPHETAMINES
221. Hon SALLY TALBOT to the
Attorney General:
I refer to Tom Percy's The Sunday Times article, ''It's the good who break
bad'' and I ask the Attorney General whether he agrees with Tom Percy
that until we start treating the use of methamphetamines as primarily a medical
issue rather than a criminal one, the trade will continue to escalate; if so,
what will he do to make the shift; and, if not, why not?
221. Hon SALLY TALBOT to the
Attorney General:
I refer to Tom Percy's The Sunday Times article, ''It's the good who break
bad'' and I ask the Attorney General whether he agrees with Tom Percy
that until we start treating the use of methamphetamines as primarily a medical
issue rather than a criminal one, the trade will continue to escalate; if so,
what will he do to make the shift; and, if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for the question but I am a bit
puzzled as to where it is leading. I did have a quick glance at the article in The Sunday Times .
Hon Sally Talbot : He does mention you, Attorney General.
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN : He did not mention me by name; he did
mention me by title and he was not quite accurate.
Hon Sally Talbot : So the Attorney General has not watched
the program?
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN : No, I have not watched the program Breaking Bad . The reference was in the
context of a radio interview when I was asked a question about the confiscation
of the proceeds of crime. The point that I was making was that if someone
chooses to ''break bad'' in the sense of deciding to go into drug
trafficking as a means of supplementing their income, it is a gamble. They
gamble with everything on the table, not simply the proceeds of that crime. If,
in fact, they do get caught, they lose everything through the operation of the
Criminal Property Confiscation Act 2000. I had not watched the program but I
was aware of the general gist.
On the question of methylamphetamine, like all drugs of addiction, it is
a combination of a medical issue—probably a psychological or
psychiatric issue in many cases—and one of social policy and criminal
law. Methylamphetamine, as with any other sort of deleterious drug, is
controlled by law. Its distribution into the community and its availability are
controlled by law and regulation, and like most social issues, it involves
regulation through a carrot and stick approach. The stick is the sanctions provided
by criminal law to deter people from engaging in criminal activity that harms
them and others. The carrot is the opportunity to be weaned off drugs and
receive treatment for addiction and the underlying issues that may give rise to
people engaging in that sort of destructive behaviour. I am not quite sure what
the member was hoping for beyond that, but like any criminal sanction, it is
not a solution in itself. There is always, particularly with drugs of addiction
and the like, a medical element or a psychiatric and psychological element as
well.
puzzled as to where it is leading. I did have a quick glance at the article in The Sunday Times .
Hon Sally Talbot : He does mention you, Attorney General.
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN : He did not mention me by name; he did
mention me by title and he was not quite accurate.
Hon Sally Talbot : So the Attorney General has not watched
the program?
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN : No, I have not watched the program Breaking Bad . The reference was in the
context of a radio interview when I was asked a question about the confiscation
of the proceeds of crime. The point that I was making was that if someone
chooses to ''break bad'' in the sense of deciding to go into drug
trafficking as a means of supplementing their income, it is a gamble. They
gamble with everything on the table, not simply the proceeds of that crime. If,
in fact, they do get caught, they lose everything through the operation of the
Criminal Property Confiscation Act 2000. I had not watched the program but I
was aware of the general gist.
On the question of methylamphetamine, like all drugs of addiction, it is
a combination of a medical issue—probably a psychological or
psychiatric issue in many cases—and one of social policy and criminal
law. Methylamphetamine, as with any other sort of deleterious drug, is
controlled by law. Its distribution into the community and its availability are
controlled by law and regulation, and like most social issues, it involves
regulation through a carrot and stick approach. The stick is the sanctions provided
by criminal law to deter people from engaging in criminal activity that harms
them and others. The carrot is the opportunity to be weaned off drugs and
receive treatment for addiction and the underlying issues that may give rise to
people engaging in that sort of destructive behaviour. I am not quite sure what
the member was hoping for beyond that, but like any criminal sanction, it is
not a solution in itself. There is always, particularly with drugs of addiction
and the like, a medical element or a psychiatric and psychological element as
well.
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