The problems caused by illegal drugs
Drugs, both legal and illegal, can be responsible for a great many problems to individuals and society, including physical illness, dependency and psychological problems, social disruption, violence, family breakdown, economic loss, accidents and death.
In Australia, there were an estimated 22 524 drug-related deaths in 2002. Of these, 19 000 were due to tobacco, 2524 attributed to alcohol and 1000 to illegal drugs.¹
There are some problems that are caused purely by the fact that a drug is illegal.
Many people have been imprisoned (even executed in some other countries) for dealing in or using illegal drugs. For many the stigma of a criminal record continues to burden them long after their drug use has stopped.
Restricting the supply of an illegal drug can make the drug more expensive. Many users of heroin are forced into criminal activities, such as theft, in order to obtain sufficient money to support their drug use.
Because some drugs are illegal, they are not subject to any form of quality control. Drugs bought on the street are of unknown strength, which increases the risk of accidental overdose. While there is always a chance of overdose, this can be of particular risk to the one-off, inexperienced or occasional user. Street drugs can contain other unwanted or dangerous chemicals causing illness or death.
Australian drug policy
Australian drug policy is based on the principles of harm minimisation. Drug problems are dealt with in three main ways: reducing the supply of drugs, reducing the demand for drugs, reducing the harms associated with drug use.
Reducing the supply of drugs
Law enforcement activities aim to prevent illegal drugs from entering the country, or being manufactured and distributed in Australia.
One result of restricting the supply of illegal drugs is to force up the street price, because users are forced to bid against each other for the limited quantity available.
There are also many laws restricting the supply of legal drugs. For example, making sure that alcohol is not sold to people under 18 years of age.
Reducing the demand for drugs
It is difficult to get accurate figures on how many people use illegal drugs, simply because they are illegal. However, a 2004 national survey showed that 33.6 per cent of the population had tried cannabis; 9.1 per cent amphetamines; 7.5 per cent hallucinogens; 2.3 per cent heroin and 2.5 per cent inhalants. Illegal drugs were used most often by people in the 20–34 year age range.²
Reducing the demand for drugs involves a range of activities including:
- giving people the necessary information to make responsible choices about drug use
- working to ensure that people have an adequate standard of living and positive social and personal relationships so they are less likely to turn to drugs
- helping people with drug problems reduce their drug use through access to treatment and rehabilitation programs.
Reducing the harm caused by drug use
Where drug use does occur, it is important that the harm caused to individuals and the community is minimised. This means concentrating on the specific harms and practical ways to reduce them.
For example, providing access to clean needles through needle exchange programs has reduced the spread of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Drink driving laws and random breath testing have reduced the harm caused by drink drivers.
Under the National Drug Strategy (NDS), Australia's approach to illegal drugs combines law enforcement with harm reduction.
References
¹AIHW, 2003. Statistics on drug use in Australia 2002. Canberra.
²AIHW, 2005. 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Canberra.