I am not a fan of capital punishment and prefer not to see anyone face a firing squad. However, given the terrible consequences of heroin, I would have no problem seeing smugglers spending decades in prison.

I also view "reform" in prison with a healthy skepticism given the vast self interest of offenders and the frequency with which this rehabilitation evaporates as they gain their freedom.

G'day there SHADOW MINISTER...

I couldn't agree more with what it is you've said in your last Email. The people who believe there's reform in prisons, should perhaps put on a green outfit and see for themselves. If anything, they learn better skills enabling them to commit more serious crimes, and do much more harm to their victims.

What are those terrible consequences of using heroin Shadow Minister? Do you even know what heroin is or the history of it? I'm betting the answer to that is no.

Minotaur,

What a facile question. The consequences of heroin addiction are well known incl for the user: death, ill health, poverty, criminal record, broken family, etc. For society: it means increased costs of health and policing, increased crime, and the loss of productive citizens.

https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-to-congress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drug-abuse

Legalising the use of drugs helps to manage and reduce the damage, it does not in any way mean that heroin is harmless. There is plenty of evidence that the cheaper and more available drugs become, the more people get addicted, so the supply should still illegal and the thugs that do supply should be severely punished.

Gee, what an underwhelming response from Shadow Minister. Substitute in 'alcohol' or any number of prescription drugs for 'heroin' and it would be the same description.

Heroin itself is not a dangerous drug and is a far more effective pain relief than its close brother, morphine. It becomes dangerous when criminals are the ones providing the supply and like to 'cut' it with other dangerous substances (such as ground up glass).

It may surprise some but heroin was legal until 1953 and was widely used in cough medicines. Australians were some of the biggest users of heroin in the world and there was no identified issue with the drug as being a dangerous one. It was made illegal after other countries how had made it illicit put pressure on Australia to follow suit. There was no evidence based ban (on health grounds) and it was done after pressure from the 'wowser' element.

And if you're going to state '...evidence that the cheaper and more available drugs become, the more people get addicted...' then provide the evidence. Otherwise all you have is opinion posing as fact.

Minotaur,

What undiluted drivel. The difference between heroin and say alcohol is its level of physical addictiveness, (the most addictive of all the opiates) and that the body rapidly becomes used to the drug requiring higher and higher doses until the difference between a high and an overdose is wafer thin. Heroin is a far more effective pain killer than morphine, but is almost never used because of the rapid onset of addiction.

I am not sure what your agenda is, but trying to pretend that heroin is no more dangerous than alcohol does not make you look smart or informed.