Western Region Drug and Alcohol (WRAD) centre director Geoff Soma’s call comes on the back of a report from a national think tank recommending a new approach that focuses on minimising the harm for users.

Former Australian Federal Police Commissioner and deputy chair of Australia21 Mick Palmer said law enforcement needed to be relieved of the responsibility of treating recreational and social drug users as criminals.

“The user end of the illicit drug marketplace needs to be dealt with primarily as a social and health issue,” he said.

Mr Soma echoed Mr Palmer and said drug use should be looked at as a health and social issue rather than a criminal issue.

“I think we’ve reached the point where there is enough evidence to indicate that what we’ve been doing hasn’t reached the mark,” he said.

“We need to take a different approach.”

Mr Soma said decriminalising the possession and cultivation of small amounts of cannabis in South Australia, the ACT, the NT and other parts of the world had occurred and it had not led to a marked increase in users.

He said the approach would give people the opportunity to be diverted from the criminal justice system.

“It’s an incredibly complex issue and people don’t like the idea of being ‘soft on drugs’ and we’re not saying that,” he said.

But he said a more reasonable approach could be taken. “It’s time to trial something different, evaluate it effectively and watch the impact,” he said.

Mr Soma said drug users needed to be treated on a continuum which included early intervention, day programs, residential stays and a collaborative approach with all support services.

In the report Mr Palmer said laws against drug use and possession were frequently broken by a large proportion of the population.

“Enforcement of these laws undermines relationships between police and large sections of the community — especially younger people — and creates an environment within which police unavoidably contribute to the further victimisation of the users, rather than assisting in their well-being and rehabilitation,” he said.

“While the drug supply market remains unregulated and in the hands of organised criminals who reap huge financial rewards from their endeavours, police will always be chasing their tails or playing catch-up. We must find a way to change the focus to causes, not simply symptoms.”