Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Tuesday 01 May
6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Is it time to rethink Australia’s drug policy? Join Dr Alex Wodak AM, Senior Specialist of St Vincent Hospital’s Alcohol and Drug Service and President of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, as he discusses the ‘war on drugs’ with host Sally Warhaft.
A report released in April declared the current approach to illicit drug use to be a failure with devastating consequences. The report was prepared by an independent working group including foreign affairs minister Bob Carr, former health minister Michael Wooldridge, former federal police chief Mick Palmer and Nicholas Cowderey QC. Yet both the government and the opposition continue to advocate tough policing and are critical of recommendations in favour of decriminalisation. Do we need major reform? And what might this entail?
Featuring
Sally Warhaft
Sally Warhaft is a Melbourne broadcaster, anthropologist and writer. She is the host of The Fifth Estate, the Wheeler Centre’s live series focusing on journalism, politics, media, and international relations, and The Leap Year ...
Alex Wodak
Dr Alex Wodak was the Director of the Alcohol and Drug Service at Sydney’s St. Vincent’s Hospital from 1982 to 2012. He’s currently President of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation.
Alex was also President of the International Harm Reduction Association from 1996 to 2004. He helped establish the first needle syringe programme and the first medically supervised injecting centre in Australia when both were pre-legal. Dr Wodak often works in developing countries on HIV control among injecting drug users. He contributed in 2011 to the Global Commission on Drug Policy. He is a Director of Australia21 and contributed to their report on drug policy. In 2010, Dr Wodak was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).