An eminently sensible article from Andrew Macintosh. However, given that this is a Federal election year, I predict that an increasingly desperate Coalition government will run true to form and attempt to whip up some kind of law and order hysteria over the illegal use of recrational drugs in Australia. The recent shameful smear campaigns against the Greens over their harm minimisation policy in the NSW election will undoubtedly be rerun in the Federal campaign.

Christopher Pyne: "... now is not the time to be showing weakness in the face of the war on drugs”.

Now where have we heard exactly the same rhetoric in recent weeks? The "war" on drugs is about as winnable as the "war" on terror. It seems timely that the Chaser's "war on everything" returns to the ABC this week, correctly reframing the conservatives' "wars" on drugs, terror etc as the joke that they are.

Yet in this midst of all this posturing and bluster not one word about trying to dig down to the "worm i'the bud"? Not one person brave enough to question why, in a society recently cited as having the third-highest living standard in the world, this problem exists?

Something, it appears is rotten in the state of Denmark yet, expecially in an election year, lets rather pour billions into papering over the cracks - the rotting woodwork underneath is far too unsightly.

Harm minimisation has only one advantage.

It offers secure, lucrative employment, in an expanding area of totally useless activity, for an increasing number of surplus graduates.

It is only by guatanteeing that nothing is achieved for drug addicts, that an expanding industry can be assured.

"Unfortunately, it is a rare event when any government body decides to make drug policy recommendations that are based on evidence."

Amen. We're in serious trouble as a nation if we're listening to people like Bronwyn Bishop on the issue of drugs. It's like listening to a crocodile comment on bunjee jumping. Opinionated, sure, but not worth much.

No politician is qualified to comment on the issue without at least having a go at psilocybin mushrooms. At a minimum.

The fight against illegal drugs is one-sided. We've been fighting with one hand tied behind our back so it's very easy to say that we've lost. How 'bout we level out the playing field and get a little dirty in this fight.

I think the best way to win the war on drugs is to decriminalise it and only target big time importers and manfactures. The government should supply drugs to addicts in excange for the addicts taking some sort of detox program to try and get off the drugs altogether.

But I am sure the whaa whaa brigade will none of that and for sure will howl it down!