Send Drug Users to Rehab, Not Court, says Magistrate

Policy-makers and lawyers in Dubbo have renewed calls for a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in the area.

This proposal was previously suggested by former Dubbo local court magistrate, Andrew Eckhold, after observing a steady stream of habitual drug users flowing into his courtroom – many of whom could be dealt with more appropriately through rehabilitation programs rather than the criminal justice system.

The idea has gained traction after the Dubbo Local Aboriginal Land Council offered a parcel of land to parties interested in building the centre.

“We would be prepared to sit down with any government agency, any organisation, looking to build a facility that not only would just assist the Aboriginal community, but also the wider community,” Dubbo Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive officer, Darren Toomey said.

“My biggest fear is that if we leave it any longer, it’s just going to get worse and we won’t be able to get hold of it.”

Drugs in Dubbo

The issue of drugs in Dubbo was recently thrust into the media spotlight after 100 police officers raided 14 homes in the area, resulting in seizures of ice, cannabis, fentanyl and prescription medications, and the arrest of 11 residents.

On a visit to Dubbo, Premier Mike Baird declared that new ‘tough on crime’ policies would be implemented in an attempt to tackle ice addiction across the state. Baird vowed to intensify roadside drug testing, increase maximum penalties for drug offences and record sales of pseudoephedrine in pharmacies, which he claimed would decrease manufacture.

Baird’s speech said little about support programs, and drug reformists argue there should be greater access to diversionary and rehabilitation services.

NSW currently has just three drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres west of the Blue Mountains – located in Brewarrina, Canowindra and Cowra. This means the closest facility for Dubbo residents is around two-and-a-half hours drive away.

Local Support

Late last year, nearly 6000 people put their names to a petition directed to Mr Baird and Dubbo MP Troy Grant to urgently fund a drug rehabilitation centre in the area.

One campaigner, Nguumambiny Indigenous Corporation volunteer Tahni Waters, said existing services are insufficient and the situation is setting up long-term users for inevitable failure. “The rehab centre is key to [reducing harm] and it can’t be in a year, two years or the next election, it needs to happen now”, she said.

Political Backing

Labor candidate Stephen Lawrence and Independent Colin Hamilton have put their support behind a rehabilitation facility in their local electorate of Dubbo, which they believe is an important step towards addressing the region’s growing drug problem.

“As a lawyer in the region over the last five years I have been shocked to see the physical decline in clients struggling with ice addiction as well as being horrified by some of the crimes the drug is causing,” Mr Lawrence said.

Meanwhile Nationals MP, Tony Grant, showed little interest in the idea, saying existing programs and services are doing enough to combat substance abuse.

Attacking Demand

While officers of the Orana Local Area Command are patting their own backs about the Dubbo raids, they have expressed concerns about reoffending rates of those who are arrested.

“Recidivism is a major, major factor,” acting superintendent Scott Tanner said. “A lot of those people that we did charge had come under notice prior.”

Mr Tanner admitted more should be done to rehabilitate offenders, adding that a new centre could be filled overnight and that the issue of illicit drug use is unlikely to ever go away. “Once ice has finished its run, there will be another drug of choice just as ecstasy, not long ago, was the drug of choice,” he said. “There will always be a drug of addiction.”

Drug reformists agree with that view, but are critical of the government’s current punitive approach towards drug use. The better way, they argue, is to treat addiction as a health issue rather than a criminal law problem, and to treat habitual users accordingly.