A haven for ‘drug tourism’ or beacon of hope? The rhetoric around decriminalisation in the ACT

‘It’s just not accurate to say we’re going to lose control of the situation’ … Chris Gough (right) at the Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy community centre. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/The Guardian

Listening to the police and the ACT government, a person could be forgiven for thinking the looming decriminalisation of some drug possession will only lead to one of two possible outcomes.

The ACT could become a haven for “drug tourism”, with police grappling with increases in drug-driving deaths and violence among organised criminals.