National Drug Strategy Policy in Australia: A Comprehensive Report

This report provides a comprehensive overview of Australia's National Drug Strategy policy. It begins by exploring the historical development and the rationale behind the policy's formation, tracing its evolution since 1985. The report then delves into the prevalence of drug abuse within Australia, citing statistics on commonly used substances like cannabis, alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceuticals, and analyzing the associated health, social, and economic harms. Preventive actions, such as supply reduction, demand reduction through awareness campaigns, and harm reduction strategies, are also discussed. Furthermore, the report examines the significant role of media in shaping public perceptions of drug use and its portrayal within the policy context. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of the National Drug Strategy in addressing the drug abuse crisis and highlights the collaborative efforts needed to mitigate its harmful effects.

Running head: NATIONAL DRUG STRATEGY POLICY IN AUSTRALIA
National drug strategy policy in Australia
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Authors note

1NATIONAL DRUG STRATEGY POLICY IN AUSTRALIA
Executive Summary
The report aims to give an outline regarding the National Drug Strategy policy implemented
by the Australian government. At first, the history and development of the policy was
explored and then the prevalence rate of the drug abused was analysed. A critical analysis on
the data was done to understand the rate and the type of drugs that are commonly used. The
harms that effects the population health wise, socially and economically and the preventive
strategies were also reviewed. The report ended with the role of media on decreasing the
prevalence of drug abuse and its portrayal on the policy.

2NATIONAL DRUG STRATEGY POLICY IN AUSTRALIA
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Discussion..................................................................................................................................3
Reason behind the policy formation......................................................................................3
History................................................................................................................................3
Prevalence of drug abuse in Australia................................................................................4
Principles at stake and the issue drivers.................................................................................4
Preventive actions..................................................................................................................4
The media portrayal of the policy..........................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

3NATIONAL DRUG STRATEGY POLICY IN AUSTRALIA
Introduction
Globally, drug abuse is considered to be a major social crisis which plays a negative
role in the destruction of many lives in respect to health, social and financial attributes.
Hence, the Australian government took an initiative and in the year 1985, they introduced a
policy named Australia’s National Drug Strategy (Health.gov.au 2019). This policy was
introduced to ensure safety of the Australian citizens and avoid any harm caused by alcohol,
illicit drugs like cannabis, tobacco, pharmaceuticals and other illegal substances
(Health.gov.au 2019). The objective of this report is to offer an outline of this policy, and
critically examine its different aspects.
Discussion
Reason behind the policy formation
Australia’s National Drug Strategy, is a policy that is under the supervision of
Ministerial Drug and Alcohol Forum (MDAF). The policy works with the aim to decrease the
use of tobacco, drugs and alcohol amongst Australian citizens, thereby improving the quality
of life of the population.
History
The policy underwent a lot of changes and modification for a better approach. The
policy was first introduced in the year 1985 after a conference on drugs and a campaign
named National Campaign against Drug Abuse was launched (Ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au
2019). Following that, in the year 1991 the strategic framework of the policy was developed
and based on that planning, in 1993 the National Drug Strategy was launched and
implemented. In 1998, a new strategic framework of the plan was approached and developed
and it was renamed as National Drug Strategic Framework 1998-99 to 2002-03

4NATIONAL DRUG STRATEGY POLICY IN AUSTRALIA
(Ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au 2019). After that, the next policy strategy that was developed and
launched was 2004-2009, followed by 2010-2015 and the last till date is 2017-2026.
Prevalence of drug abuse within Australia
In the year 2016, a study led by the National Drug Strategy Household Survey,
reported 3.1 million residents of Australia to be victimised by drugs. The survey also reported
the commonly used drugs by the citizens and the results indicated the use of cannabis,
alcohol,tobacco and cocaine (Australian Government Department of Health 2019). The
misuse of many prescribed pharmaceutical drugs in the recent year is increasing and these
drugs includes steroids, opioids, hormones and benzodiazepines. (Dobbin 2014)
Principles at stake and the issue drivers
Health harms such as premature death (Manning, Smith and Mazerolle 2013), rises
the threat for severe medical problems, such as coma, respiratory arrest and chronic diseases.
Moreover, in a study by Copeland, Rooke and Swift (2013), it is stated that cannabis are
found to cause depression and mental anxiety in humans.
Social harms include abuse to children and increases the incidences of violence and
crime. Furthermore, it also leads to social problems like unemployment and poverty. From
the context of economical harms, increased criminal activity is seen, and the increased
number of drug abuse leads to a decrease in total productivity, which ultimately leads to a fall
in economic growth. (Health.gov.au 2019)
Preventive actions
Some preventive actions are taken to minimize the harm that drug causes. First, a
reduction in supply of the drugs results in the reduced availability and a rise in price, thereby
decreasing the consumption. Second, the reduction in demand by making the population
aware of the harms associated with drug consumption. Awareness can be brought by using

5NATIONAL DRUG STRATEGY POLICY IN AUSTRALIA
policies, conducting educational workshops in schools, colleges and other sectors. Lastly,
decrease in harm of the drugs, which includes designing of drugs which reduces the potential
risks associated with them.
The media portrayal of the policy
The media plays a major role on the use of drugs and the outlook of people towards
the issue. According to a report by the Drug Policy Modelling Program, the type of portrayal
affects the impact of drug use and is considered to have a stronger impact than any actions
taken by law. Hence, a synergistic approach is required to improve the outcomes of the
policy. On 2019, a report was published, on the mental health commission and media, who
worked together to spread awareness regarding the use of drugs and alcohol and its effect on
mental health (mhc.wa.gov.au, 2019).
Conclusion
Hence, to conclude, the policy National Drug Strategy by the Australian government
is marking its milestone in eradicating harms caused by drugs. Due to the increased
prevalence of drug abuse, the policy was introduced. This strategy not only minimizes harm
based on health, but as well as, in respect to social, financial and mental issue. It provides a
strategic framework on the reduction of the harms. Lastly, the role of media is very crucial
and together, the National Drug Strategy and media can decrease this crisis and its harmful
effects.


6NATIONAL DRUG STRATEGY POLICY IN AUSTRALIA
References
Australian Government Department of Health 2019. Drug trends and statistics. [online]
Australian Government Department of Health. Available at:
https://campaigns.health.gov.au/drughelp/drug-trends-and-statistics [Accessed 28 Sep. 2019].
Copeland, J., Rooke, S. and Swift, W., 2013. Changes in cannabis use among young people:
impact on mental health. Current opinion in psychiatry, 26(4), pp.325-329.
Dobbin, M., 2014. Pharmaceutical drug misuse in Australia. Aust Prescr, 37(3), pp.79-81.
Dpmp.unsw.edu.au 2019. Media reporting on illicit drug use in Australia: Trends and youth
attitudes toward media reporting | Drug Policy Modelling Program. [online]
Dpmp.unsw.edu.au. Available at: https://dpmp.unsw.edu.au/project/media-reporting-illicit-
drug-use-australia-trends-and-youth-attitudes-toward-media-reporting [Accessed 30 Sep.
2019].
Health.gov.au 2019. [online] Health.gov.au. Available at:
https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/national-drug-strategy-2017-2026_1.pdf
[Accessed 28 Sep. 2019].
Manning, M., Smith, C. and Mazerolle, P., 2013. The societal costs of alcohol misuse in
Australia. Trends and issues in crime and criminal justice, (454), p.1.
mhc.wa.gov.au (2019). News and updates. [online] Mental Health Commission - Western
Australia. Available at: https://www.mhc.wa.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media/news-and-
updates/?page=1&search= [Accessed 30 Sep. 2019].
Ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au 2019. National Drug Strategy: The first ten years and beyond.
Proceedings of the eighth annual symposium of the National Drug and Alcohol Research
Centre | NDARC - National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. [online]

7NATIONAL DRUG STRATEGY POLICY IN AUSTRALIA
Ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au. Available at: https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/resource/national-drug-
strategy-first-ten-years-and-beyond-proceedings-eighth-annual-symposium [Accessed 28
Sep. 2019].