At least two people I cared deeply about are dead because of how we deal with drugs in this country.

Their deaths weren’t inevitable. But they were made more likely by policies that punish instead of protect. By stigma that forces people into silence when they most need help. And by a legal system that treats drug use as a moral failure instead of a health issue.

Others have not reached their full potential, others continue to struggle, when they might not have if policy makers had more courage.

That’s why I’ve supported drug law reform for years. And it’s why I’ve stepped up now  on the board of Unharm, at what I believe is a critical turning point for change in Australia.

In my work as a political adviser, I’ve seen how systems change. Often slowly. Sometimes suddenly. But almost always because of building momentum and public awareness after years of groundwork by people who believe things can be better — and are willing to fight for it.

We are at one of those moments now.

The conversation around drug policy is shifting. The ACT has decriminalised small quantities of illicit substances. NSW, Queensland and Victoria have made steps forward on pill testing. And across the country, more and more people are speaking openly about their experiences, demanding a smarter approach. At the federal level, we have one of the most progressive parliaments in recent memory.

But even in this moment, many MPs are still scared of drug law reform. If we want to see change, we need to give them the political space to be bold — by shifting the public debate and showing there’s support for a more humane, evidence-based approach.

This parliament will oversee a new National Drug Strategy. Whether that strategy delivers meaningful change or just tinkers around the edges depends on the pressure we apply now.

That’s where Unharm comes in — and where I want to play a role.

Unharm has already helped change the national conversation about drugs. But there’s more to do. To shift the political centre of gravity. To build alliances. To push forward policy reform. And to do it all in a way that centres compassion and evidence— not fear campaigns and failed ideology.

Because right now, Australia’s drug laws don’t just fail to keep people safe — they actively make things far worse.

They don’t reduce drug use or supply. They haven’t made the community safer. What they have done is create a system where millions of people are criminalised — and some are lost entirely — because we refuse to treat drug use as a reality of life.

For decades, drug policy has been built around the illusion of control — that if we criminalise people hard enough, the problem will disappear. It hasn’t. Because you can’t punish your way to a world without drugs — and trying to has only created more harm.

Think about this: nearly half the population has used illegal drugs. What kind of law criminalises half the country? Not a good one. Not a just one. A law that broad and that broken loses its legitimacy. Worse still, when it’s enforced selectively — disproportionately targeting people who are poor, Indigenous, or already marginalised — it stops being about justice and becomes something else entirely.

If you set out to design a policy that would ruin lives without solving the problem, it would look a lot like the one we’ve got.

That’s why I’m stepping up.

Because this isn’t about being soft on drugs. It’s about being serious about outcomes. Zero use, zero harm is a fantasy. A responsible government focuses on reducing harm, not pretending it can eliminate risk.

The job of government is to deliver real-world outcomes that keep people safe — not chase politically convenient fantasies. Policy should be about what actually works. And that means focusing on what’s achievable, not what sounds tough.

Peter Stahel is a public affairs consultant, political adviser and board member of Unharm drug policy reform.

Note from the Unharm team: Peter’s story is powerful because it’s not rare. The harm he describes is still happening, but we can change that. Scroll down to donate and support this work.