Fair Treatment is an organisation campaigning for a fairer, more effective approach to drug policy in NSW and the ACT.

We want to see drug use treated as a health and social issue, not a criminal one. That means improving access to treatment and support, particularly in regional and rural communities, reforming drug laws, and challenging the stigma experienced by people who use drugs.

At the heart of Fair Treatment is a simple belief: people who use drugs deserve to be treated with dignity, compassion and respect.

Our story

Fair Treatment grew from decades of advocacy by families, health professionals, community organisations and the Uniting Church, who had seen first-hand the harm caused not only by drugs, but by the way our society responds to people who use them.

In the early 1990s, Marion and Brian McConnell lost their son to a heroin overdose. Their experience led them to become determined advocates for drug law reform, challenging the idea that people who use drugs should be treated as criminals when what they often need is care and support.

During the heroin crisis of the late 1990s, the Uniting Church became closely involved in the movement for harm reduction. This ultimately led to Uniting establishing the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross, which opened in 2001 and demonstrated the value of putting healthcare, human dignity and connection at the centre of our response to drug use.

In 2016, more than 400 Uniting Church leaders from across NSW considered a new drug policy that included support for decriminalisation. Its adoption created the foundation for something bigger: a campaign capable of turning policy into action.

Fair Treatment officially launched at Sydney Town Hall in October 2018, bringing together 2,000 people and a growing coalition committed to changing the way we respond to drug use.

Today, we continue that work by bringing together people and organisations who believe there is a better way.

We campaign for drug policies based on evidence, health and human dignity, and for a system that supports people rather than punishing them.

Because everyone deserves fair treatment.

Vision

A society where people who use drugs are treated with dignity and respect, and where our response to drug use puts health, wellbeing and community first.

Mission

To create a fairer approach to drug use by reforming drug laws, reducing stigma and ensuring people have access to the health, treatment and support they need.

Values

Dignity

We believe every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. People who use drugs should not be defined by their drug use or subjected to stigma, discrimination or judgement.

Compassion

We put people first. We believe care, understanding and support are more effective responses to drug use than punishment and exclusion.

Evidence

We support approaches to drug use that are informed by evidence and experience. Drug policy should focus on what works to reduce harm, save lives and improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities.

Justice

We believe everyone deserves fair treatment. We challenge laws, policies and systems that unfairly criminalise or disadvantage people who use drugs and advocate for a fairer, health-based approach.

Connection

We believe change happens through relationships. By listening to people with lived experience and bringing together families, communities, health professionals and organisations, we can build understanding, reduce stigma and create lasting change.