Question Time: Drug Laws

Supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction are the three key tenets of Australian drug policy.

But these areas attract vastly different levels of funding, attention and reporting. Harm reduction strategies, in particular, ignite controversy and community anxiety. Today, we have only one safe injecting room (in Sydney) and no official means for pill testing at festivals around the country.

Recent studies indicate that Australia has one of the highest usage rates of illicit drugs in the world. Methamphetamine usage in Australia has tripled in the last five years and usage of MDMA and other drugs is surging, too. Despite copious media coverage, especially in relation to the ice epidemic, it seems there is little political appetite to change the status quo.

What’s working in our drug policy and what isn’t? What is the research telling us? What can we learn from other jurisdictions? Our panel tackle questions from the audience in a full hour of Q&A. Hosted by Madeleine Morris, with Stan Winford, Rick Nugent and Nicole Lee.