Exciting Announcement!
The Australian Psychedelic Society has just unveiled its position statement on decriminalisation, marking a significant move in the discourse on drug policy.
📅 Join us on August 17th at 7:30 pm AEST for an in-depth panel discussion on drug policy and decriminalisation.
✨ Read the Full Statement: HERE
🗣 Engage with the Community: Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
We are firm advocates for decriminalisation, viewing it as a critical step towards ending the war on drugs. While appreciating the progress made in the ACT and QLD, we emphasize that more significant, well-structured changes are essential. Our position statement offers a comprehensive framework, suggesting the direction legislative alterations should take to decriminalise certain illicit substances.
🔍 In our Panel Discussion, we'll explore:
The current law impacts on psychoactive substances
The distinctions between decriminalisation and legalisation
Potential benefits and risks of decriminalisation
Our current focus on decriminalisation
🔗 Livestream Details: Catch the panel live on Zoom on August 17th at 7:30pm AEST. We look forward to seeing you there and delving deep into this vital conversation.
About our Panelists:
Dr Monica Barratt
Dr Monica Barratt is a drugs-policy researcher at RMIT university and the Executive Director of Bluelight.org. Monica studies digitally facilitated drug trading, novel psychoactive substance trends and markets, drug checking or pill testing and ways to increase meaningful involvement of people who use drugs in research and policy processes.
David Heilpern AM: Esteemed lawyer and former Magistrate
David Heilpern was appointed as a Magistrate in 1998, and was at the time the youngest magistrate in Australia. He ‘retired’ in May 2020. He sat in the criminal, mining, family, industrial, coronial and children’s jurisdictions of the Local Court, and was the Senior Civil Magistrate for five years. During his time on the bench, David was the principal educator for new magistrates throughout Australia and the Pacific and made several important reported decisions on criminal, environmental and evidence law.
Prior to his appointment, David was a litigation lawyer on the North Coast where he co-founded the law school at Southern Cross University in 1992, subsequently teaching in a range of subjects including constitutional law, criminal law and procedure and contracts. At the time, it was the first non-metropolitan law school in Australia. David maintained a litigation practice throughout this time, representing a wide range of defendants including high profile clients North East Forrest Alliance and Nimbin Hemp. During this time David graduated with a Masters in Law from SCU and was pronounced the Alumni of the Decade for the University in 2005.
David has authored or co-authored four published books, refereed journal articles on a range of legal and judicial topics, and is a prize-winning short story writer and poet. He regularly speaks at practical law conferences in Australia and internationally on advocacy, criminal law and courtcraft.
In August 2022, David was appointed as a Dean and Head of Discipline (Law) at SCU and his writing and research is now focussed on judicial education, drug law reform, aboriginal overrepresentation in the criminal justice system and environmental activism.
David is passionate about legal education, seeking to ensure that students are stimulated, excited and fulfilled in their journey through the law.
“I love the law, it’s intricacy, creativity, utility and force as an agent of change and justice. To study law can and should be a joy and delight – that is my mission”.
Dr Alex Wodak
Dr. Alex Wodak AM is a retired physician who was Director of the Alcohol and Drug Service at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, from 1982 until 2012. He began President of the International Harm Reduction Association from 1996 to 2004 and was President of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation for many years.