Academy of Law and Academy of Science Joint Symposium

How do laws around drugs impact your access to health care? Would alcohol be scheduled differently if discovered today, given what we know of its dangers? Should the law discriminate based on the risk a drug poses to its users versus bystanders?

If those on the frontlines of medical research and regulation say the war on drugs has been “comprehensively lost”, would legalising every drug make the world a safer place?

Explore this topic with us in a symposium held in collaboration between the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Law.

Join us at the Shine Dome as experts in criminal law, pharmacology, and social research debate how legalisation is lagging behind the lab, whether the law is coherent when it comes to different chemical substances, and what a legal overhaul might mean for mental health research.

ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum will chair this event. It will cover the history of drug criminalisation, the social impact of a punitive response, and notions of choice and moral responsibility when it comes to addiction.

Speakers/Panellists:

Professor Arthur Christopoulos FAA FAHMS: Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University, whose research into drug receptors has been applied to studies on neurological and psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, chronic pain, and addiction.

Nicholas Cowdery AO KC FAAL: Director of Public Prosecutions for NSW from 1994 to 2011; author of several books on drug law reform, including: ‘Getting Justice Wrong – Myths, Media and Crime’.

The Hon (Acting) Justice Richard Refshauge: Acting Judge of the ACT Supreme Court to supervise the Drug and Alcohol Sentencing List, which administers treatment orders for the rehabilitation of offenders dependent on alcohol or other drugs.

Scientia Professor Carla Treloar FASSA: Director of the Centre for Social Research in Health and the Social Policy Research Centre at UNSW, Sydney; leading international expert in social research in health in marginalised groups with a focus on stigma and trust in health systems.

Refreshments served from 7:00pm to 8:00pm.