Tamworth-based Uniting Church Reverend Simon Hansford is leading the fight to depenalise dangerous drugs in NSW.
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State cabinet will next week consider reform to drug laws, following the recent Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug Ice.
Cabinet is reportedly considering adopting a three-strikes rule, issuing people found in possession of drugs warnings and fines, rather than prosecution.
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Reverend Hansford is Uniting Church Moderator for NSW and the ACT - the equivalent of an Archbishop - and a firm supporter of drug law reform.
In a recent open letter, sent to every MP in the state, he urged parliament to adopt "a more compassionate approach to drug use being extended to those who are most in need of it".
"I am offering my support for implementing such a change. I will support you publicly in the media and I will also encourage our 500 churches across NSW and ACT to advocate similarly for such a move," his letter reads.
In an interview with the Leader the Reverend made a moral, faith-based - and economic - case for ending the punitive approach to drug use.
He said the ethical principle was as simple as "love thy neighbour".
"When Jesus was asked the question what is the most important commandment, Jesus said you love God and you love your neighbour. That's the most important commandment.
"How do we love our neighbour? By caring for them. And loving them isn't just patting them on the head, it's actually by paying attention to them and by seeking to address the pain they're in.
"The driving issues for drug abuse and drug addiction are things like loneliness, mental health issues, poverty, a history of violence and abuse in someone's life.
"How do we address the human being - if you just punish them and put them in prison, how does that solve any of the issues that are driving them in that direction?"
Reverend Hansford said drug addiction is particularly tough for victims in rural areas like Tamworth, where people are doubly victimised by the system.
First, they are addicted to the drug, then, they're punished by a health system that does not provide resources in regional areas.
"The essential rural issue is the resources that aren't available in the rural communities. If there's a person who is an addicted drug user in Tamworth, if they want to go for treatment - the reality is the best place for treatment is Sydney.
"There are two problems with that. Firstly how does one person who is resource poor relocate to Sydney? The second thing is, there's no guarantee in Sydney of a place for them when they actually get there.
"A person who is a drug user in a rural community is twice punished, first by being a drug user and by the distances to get resources."
The money tied up in the criminal justice system prosecuting thousands of drug addicts could be spent improving regional mental health and drug and alcohol rehabilitation resources, he said.
The Tamworth Mental Health Carers' Group, which successfully lobbied for a new Banksia Mental Health Unit, has called on government to construct a Tamworth drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre.
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson has been lobbying for a new rehab centre "for quite some time".
Labor first promised to build four regional mandatory detox and rehabilitation centres if it was elected in the 2019 state election. Labor MLC Daniel Moohkey argued "northern NSW would be at the forefront of discussions".
Reverend Hansford said the traditionally conservative attitude to drugs spread by religious leaders - often stereotyped as 'just say no' - wasn't working.
He was fairly confident the "common-sense" and "compassion" argument for reform would win the day.
"I think part of the attraction is that it's surprising to have a church out the front of this," he said.
"For the Uniting Church, the injecting centre in King's Cross is [run by] us. We've been involved in this area - of drug treatment - for a long time. We come not only with an understanding of compassion and justice, we also approach this from a perspective of expertise and understanding."
He described the proposed changes as "a good first step".
Andrew Messenger
Politics, environment and energy journalist at the Northern Daily Leader. I also write about health, bushfires and occasionally music. I'm a Brisbane boy by way of Charleville and Hobart who now lives in in beautiful New England. Get me at andrew.messenger@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Politics, environment and energy journalist at the Northern Daily Leader. I also write about health, bushfires and occasionally music. I'm a Brisbane boy by way of Charleville and Hobart who now lives in in beautiful New England. Get me at andrew.messenger@austcommunitymedia.com.au
