Yarra Drug and Health Forum – Monthly Meeting

Monday July 2^nd 2018

The Yarra Drug and Health Forum invites you to the next Monthly Meeting from 12.30pm-2pm.

Presentation: Mr Greg Chipp Drug Policy Australia

Drug Policy Australia is a public health NGO primarily concerned with promoting new approaches to minimise the health risks and other harms caused by the use of both licit and illicit Drugs which affects the wellbeing of all Australians.

Greg holds a Bachelor of Arts from Monash University and has been actively involved in public policy development and advocacy through his involvement with the Australian Democrats, founded by his father, Don Chipp, from the 1970s.

Greg is primarily responsible for driving policy development and the strategic direction of the organisation.

“We believe that legally enforced abstinence is unrealistic and counter-productive in modern Australia which has one of the highest per capita consumption rates of illicit drugs in the western world.”

We are concerned with the practical and ethical questions raised by drug use in Australian society which includes prohibited drugs like cannabis, ecstasy or amphetamines (ice) and freely available drugs like alcohol, tobacco or prescription medication.

The proliferation of new synthetic drugs, technological advancements in illicit drug production and supply of drugs through the internet make drug policy an increasingly important and developing area of public health policy.

We believe that government and public policy makers should give priority to the expansion of programs that have shown to reduce the incidence and severity of the many health risks associated with the use of psychoactive substances.

“We believe that the current prohibitionist approach to psychoactive substances does more harm than good to public health.”

We for advocate for a regulated decriminalised drug market based on the Portugal harm minimisation model of decriminalising the personal possession and use of recreational drugs.

Meeting location:

Meeting Room 3
Richmond Town Hall
333 Bridge Road Richmond

All welcome.
Light lunch served.