Drug reform and treatment take center stage at highly anticipated summit

Cannabis laws and pill testing are set to be on the agenda when users, medical experts, police, and support bodies come together for the first New South Wales (NSW) drug summit in 25 years.

Fulfilling a promise made ahead of the 2023 election, Premier Chris Minns on July 12 announced the long-awaited summit would begin with regional forums in October.

Sydney will host two days on Dec. 4 and 5.

The government has been facing internal pressure to drive a more liberal regime for illicit substances, with Labor’s youth wing pushing for decriminalizing the personal use and possession of some currently illicit substances.

Uniting NSW advocacy manager Emma Maiden said she was “so pleased” the summit was made official, noting the last one had been held in 1995.

“Uniting welcomes the summit as a way for the government to consider and discuss positive, evidence-based changes to our drug laws,” Ms. Maiden said.

“Our common purpose has always been to demonstrate the need for real, meaningful drug reform and to reflect the growing sense of urgency that change needs to happen now.”

But Greens MP Cate Faehrmann urged the government to consider a pill-testing trial—a move it had so far ruled out—before the summit.

She pointed to increased methamphetamine and cocaine use, along with a recent spate of overdoses due to drugs being cut with dangerous synthetic opioids.

“With drug use on the rise and increasingly dangerous substances in circulation, this summit could not come soon enough,” she said.

The government hopes the summit will build consensus on the best ways to deal with drug use while minimizing harm in the process.

“We know that drug use impacts individuals, families, and communities in many different ways,” Mr. Minns said.

“The drug summit will bring people together to find new ways forward to tackle this incredibly complex and difficult problem.”

Network of Alcohol and other Drugs Agencies chief Robert Stirling said access to treatment services remained a major challenge for many people, particularly those in regional and rural areas.

“We want to see health and well-being outcomes—for individuals and the community—at the center of the government’s agenda,” he said.

NSW Young Labor recently called for cannabis to be legalized for recreational use in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry.

The state government also on July 12 announced funding for 12 new alcohol and drug hubs, with many slated for regional areas.

The $34 million (US$23 million) investment over four years follows the former government’s inquiry into the drug ice.

That inquiry recommended decriminalizing drugs for personal use and the implementation of pill testing, moves rejected by both the previous coalition and the current Labor governments.