2009 Through the maze: healthy drug law, international drug policy symposium
International Drug Policy Symposium 2009 - Through the Maze: Healthy drug law
The Through the Maze: Healthy Drug Law symposium was held in Wellington to discuss a number of drug-related local issues, including the review of New Zealand’s 1975 Misuse of Drugs Act by the independent Law Commission.
This symposium was run as a precursor to a March 2009 meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna where the direction of global drug policy for the next 10 years was due to be set.
Joint organisers of the event were the the Drug Foundation and the New Zealand Society on Alcohol and Drug Dependence (NSAD).
A recording of each session is available. Go to the playlist on YouTube or start watching below.
Here is the programme outline with links to presentations:
Mihi Whakatau/Welcome
- Hon Peter Dunne, Associate Minister of Health: Opening address (PDF, 40 KB) (PDF 40Kb)
- Hon Max Bradford, Chairperson, New Zealand Society on Alcohol and Drug Dependence: Welcome speech (PDF, 101 KB) (PDF .1Mb)
- Tim Harding, Chairperson, New Zealand Drug Foundation: Welcome address (PDF, 51 KB) (PDF 50Kb)
Roundtable: Setting the scene
- Sandeep Chawla, Director, Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
- Mike Trace, Chairperson, International Drug Policy Consortium
- Warren Young, Deputy President, New Zealand Law Commission
The challenges of reviewing drug laws (PDF .4Mb) - Rob Pope, Deputy Commissioner, New Zealand Police
Public health approaches to drug control
- Scott Burris, Professor of Law, Temple Law School
Where do we go from here? A constitution for drug control (PDF .1Mb) - Dr Margaret Hamilton, Australian National Council on Drugs
Reflections on emergence of public health approaches to drug policy (PDF 2Mb)
The right to health and treatment
- Steve Allsop, Director, National Drug Research Institute, Perth
What can we learn from giving up? (PDF .3Mb) - Tony Trimingham, Family Drug Support, Australia
- Matthew Bird, New Zealand Drug Foundation
- Lynette Hutson, National Manager, Addiction and Supportive Accommodation Services, Salvation Army
Rights, responsibilities, costs and benefits (PDF .1Mb)
Special session on cannabis
- Presentation by the Beckley Foundation's Global Cannabis Commission, Professor Robin Room
Cannabis policy: Moving beyond the stalemate (PDF 1.1Mb) - Steve Allsop, Director, National Drug Research Institute, Perth
Stirring the pot: Cannabis and rational policy (PDF .4Mb) - Jeremy Sare, Former Head of Drug Legislation and Classification, Home Office, UK
Stop making sense (PDF .2Mb) - David Fergusson, Executive Director, Christchurch Health and Development Study
Comments on global commission report (PDF .1Mb)
Drug law, health inequalities and discrimination
- Deborah Peterson Small, Executive Director, Break the Chains
- Denis O'Reilly, Community Action on Youth and Drugs, Mokai Whānau Ora
Addressing law, health, and discrimination through front line community action (PDF .8Mb) - The Honourable Judge A J Becroft, Principal Youth Court Judge
Drug law and the Youth Court (PDF, 106 KB) (PDF .1Mb)
Balancing public health and public security
- Gino Vumbaca, Executive Officer, Australian National Council on Drugs
- Greg O'Connor, President, New Zealand Police Association
- Mike Trace, Chairperson, International Drug Policy Consortium
Recent news
SMART Recovery funding to grow local peer-led addiction support in communities
Government money for mental health and addiction, announced today, will go straight into building local capacity to support people who want to address substance use.
Drug Foundation supports focus on early intervention in new govt strategy
The NZ Drug Foundation is pleased to see a focus on early intervention to reduce drug harm in the Government’s new mental health and wellbeing strategy
A peer-led model is the key to ReWired’s success
A recent evaluation of ReWired found the mutual-aid programme is outperforming international benchmarks.