Australia - Australian Greens U-turn on drugs policy

[Lunar Loops]

It's all about voter appeal and the chance of power. This from The Herald Sun:

U-turn on drugs policy

Lincoln Wright
July 22, 2007 12:00am

THE Greens have reversed their soft drugs policy in a bid to appeal to the centre of Australian politics.

The party has for the first time stated its opposition to the legalisation of illegal drugs, according to its new Drugs, Substance Use and Addiction policy.
"The Australian Greens do not support the legalisation of currently illegal drugs," principle No.1 of the policy says.
Also, the Greens have called for a crackdown on drug dealers, including criminal penalties for offenders.
The Sunday Herald Sun has obtained a copy of the new 10-point policy, agreed on last week at a special National Council meeting.
Greens Senator Bob Brown said yesterday the new policy would take the party more to the centre of Australian politics.
"It doesn't leave the Greens open to misinterpretation from Family First and Pauline Hanson," he said.
"It maintains our concern that while drug dealers should be dealt with under the penal code, the victims should be helped."
Senator Brown said the party had relied on the best expert drug advice for its change of policy.
"It has honed our policy and brought it more up to date with world's best practice," he said.
The backflip will likely smooth the way for preference deals with Kevin Rudd's Labor Party by easing voters' concern that the Greens are soft on drugs.
The Greens were savaged in the run-up to the 2004 federal election campaign by reports the party supported the controlled use of drugs, such as marijuana and ecstasy.
Senator Brown said the Greens' support for the controlled use of marijuana or ecstasy was now off the agenda.
Popular support for the Greens was now running at 7 per cent, according to Newspoll, much of that likely to flow to Labor when preferences were sorted.
Party sources said the latest policy was designed to pre-empt the Coalition and other parties from aiming at affluent Left-leaning voters -- "doctors' wives" in political shorthand -- with a scare campaign.