His first drug test showed positive, but the more accurate test inside the police Winnebago came up negative. After a brief lecture from the cop about the long term effects of cannabis use, he was sent on his way.

Isn’t cannabis an illegal drug? Where was the arrest, the tracking down of the dealer, and the other users that the investigation would uncover? 

Drugs are a prime cause of property theft. Addicts, desperate for money or anything readily saleable, account for a massive percentage of break and enters, and theft from cars. So why were the police talking to this drug user as if his behaviour was perfectly normal?

Overseas research has established a clear link. Cannabis use can trigger underlying psychotic conditions. This can lead to a burden on the mental health system, or at its worst, violent crime. 

The case a week ago of Neville Wran’s daughter Harriet is surely a wake-up call. Only 26 years old, but addicted to “ice”, the nickname for crystal methamphetamine, Harriet is now charged with murder and attempted murder in the second degree, after the murder of her drug dealer.

Harriet came from a privilieged background, the fourth out of five children, used to living in a $10 million mansion in leafy Woollahra.

She was sent to the best schools, and should have been home studying for her history degree at Sydney University. Instead, she has been living on the streets, and is now in prison at Silverwater.

Now that the story has been revealed, it would appear that Harriet took up with an older man some years ago, and her drug use slowly accelerated.

When arrested she was reportedly “numb on ice”, and was shocked to hear what she had done, but it is all too late. A life in prison could easily be her future. 

Sadly the dead drug dealer was also a quality person before taking up drugs. He was once a respected sound designer working in film, music and theatre in Sydney. He had sunk so low that he was living in a squalid flat, dealing drugs to support his own habit.

Drugs ruin lives. It all starts with “party” drugs like cannabis, but once hooked, the addiction moves on to the more dangerous and costly drugs. 

Last week we saw the beginnings of strong action to curb drugs in sport. Similar resolve with street drugs could include arresting the users. No customers, no dealers. Just think how many lives we could save.