Victorian MP Introduces Ambitious Bill Decriminalising Drug Use & Possession

Radical Reason Party leader Fiona Patten will introduce her decriminalisation bill to the Victorian upper house on Wednesday. 

Known for pushing the status quo in addressing progressive agendas, Ms Pattern continues to emphasise that drug dependency is a health issue and not a crime.

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Announced last week that Ms Patten would introduce the bill to parliament, the Reason Party hopes to decriminalise the use and personal possession of all illicit substances.

Following the blue-print of Portugal's 20-year successful operation, the bill will see Victoria's 'War on Drugs' change to include police issuing a mandatory notice and a drug education or treatment referral to those found to have used or possessed an illicit drug. 

For those who comply, there will be no guilty finding, and no criminal record.

In a piece written for The Age, Pattern made it abundantly clear that the bill is about saving lives.

“It is about treating drug use as a health issue with a health solution, not a criminal one,” Pattern explained.

“Prohibition is being replaced with successful harm-minimisation approaches the world over.”

“Decriminalisation does not mean legalisation – decriminalisation is the removal of criminal penalties for specific offences,” she explained.

“When we talk about decriminalisation of drug use or possession, we are talking about removal of penalties for those offences, but not offences like drug trafficking, manufacture or supply.”

Patten pointed out that 95 percent of all drug arrests in Victoria are related to private consumers, and not traffickers or manufactures as many assume.

“Change here in Victoria and throughout Australia is inevitable,” she said.

Patrick Lawrence, chief executive of addiction, mental health and legal services hub First Step in St Kilda, said the bill would ensure people struggling with addiction would receive help rather than condemnation.

"We're talking about adults who survived childhood traumas, childhood abuse and neglect, homelessness, poverty, and the absence of love," he said.

"Most of us would move mountains to prevent harm occurring to a child. At what age (is) an adult ... no longer worthy of our compassion?"

- Patrick Lawrence

Portugal decriminalised drug use in 2001, since then overdoses, HIV infections & drug-related crime have all steadily decreased.

In the same way, the Reason Party hopes to change Victoria's current story of drug use and addiction, which saw 26,195 arrests for drug possession in 2021.

“Ignoring the evidence on drugs is like denying climate science. It is not rational or sensible”

- MP Fiona Patten

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