After some reflection, I will change my vote to Abstain. I feel as though I have not done the adequate research to allow for such a wide scale of drugs to enter Atlasia. While there are a good number of drugs on that list I would consider as "safe," I do not wish to make a judgment on this extended list, only to find that our action has harmed unknowing citizens.
This is the reason for which I voted against the Bill. I have no problem with codeine. I do have a problem with LSD, however, and I'm not going to vote in favour of a bill that will legalise it, even if it does allow for codeine. There may well be other drugs on the list with which I disagree.
A better option may be to create an agency, such as the US FDA, or the Australian TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration), which can regulate drugs.
This is the TGA website:
http://www.tga.gov.au/http://www.tga.gov.au/about/tga.htm - the link "What the TGA does"
As you can see, to import or produce a therepeutic drug in Australia, the importer or producer must have permission from the TGA. Doctors can apply for permission to import a particular drug for a patient or patients. This leaves it in the hands of scientists at the TGA and means that decisions are made by experts, rather than in the hands of politicians in the Senate.
