News/research

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ADLRF reports

The $3 Billion Question for Australian Businesses

In 2007, the ADLRF published the report “The Three Billion Dollar Question for Australian Businesses“, the first known study in Australia to directly quantify the cost of illicit drug use to businesses.

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Recent news and research on drug law reform

UK heroin trial results released

The BBC reports on the results of the UK heroin trial – known as ‘RIOTT’ –which were released recently: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8255418.stm

The study sent a message that rigorous scientific research can help find more effective ways of dealing with problems. The results seem to be consistent with similar randomised controlled trials in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Canada (BBC, 15 September 2009).

Definition of harm reduction

Ever wondered how to define harm reduction but too embarrassed to ask? Here is the official definition from the International Harm Reduction Association: IHRA_HRStatement.

New York Magazine on The Splitting Image of Pot

An interesting and well written piece on cannabis from the New York magazine.

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Drug Law Reform Websites

Australian sites:

The Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) is the peak, national, non-government organisation representing the interests of the Australian alcohol and other drugs sector, providing a national voice for people working to reduce the harm caused by alcohol and other drugs: http://www.adca.org.au/

Anex promotes and supports Needle and Syringe Programs (NSPs) and the evidence-based approach of harm reduction: http://www.anex.org.au/

Australian Crime Commission publishes the annual Illicit Drug Reports: http://www.crimecommission.gov.au/

Australian Drug Foundation promotes working together to prevent alcohol and other drug problems in communities. It promotes evidenced-based policies on a platform of harm minimisation. The site includes submissions and position papers:  http://www.adf.org.au/

Australian Drug Information Network (ADIN) provides a central point of access to quality Internet-based alcohol and drug information provided by prominent organisations in Australia and internationally. This site IS funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and managed by the Australian Drug Foundation: http://www.adin.com.au

The Australian Institute of Criminology produces much material relating to illicit drugs, including its Drug Use Monitoring project of police detainees provides early warning of drug use trends. This is accessible through http://www.aic.gov.au/research/drugs/index.html.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare conducts the periodical National Drug Strategy Household Surveys and publishes much other information on the burden of disease associated with substance abuse. Much of this is gathered under “Alcohol and other drugs”: http://www.aihw.gov.au/

The Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) is the principal advisory body to Government on drug policy. It publishes a magazine, “Of Substance”, issues position papers and commissions publications on issues like cannabis, drug use in families and drug use in prisons.

Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform which is affiliated with the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation Submissions is committed to preventing tragedy that arises from illicit drug use. Its website includes the group’s submissions and other publications on an extensive range of drug policy issues: http://www.ffdlr.org.au/

Family Drug Support assists families throughout Australia to deal with drug issues in a way that strengthens relationships and achieves positive outcomes: http://www.fds.org.au/

Hepatitis Australia, which works toward a nation free of new cases of viral hepatitis, promotes the provision of sterile syringes and other practices preventing the contraction of viral hepatitis by injecting drug users: http://www.hepatitisaustralia.com/

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales is a research body. Some of what it produces is available on its website: http://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/

National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) at Curtin University of Technology is a research body. Some of this is produces is available on its website:  http://www.ndri.curtin.edu.au/

The National Drug Strategy (NDS). This involves co-operation between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments. The site includes important publications and information about the National Drug Strategy and the advisory structures that support the Strategy: http://www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au/

Overseas sites:

The Beckley Foundation Drug Policy Programme aims to promote objective debate on the effectiveness, direction and content of drug policies at national and international level.It produces reports, briefing papers and other publications on drug policy: http://www.internationaldrugpolicy.net/

The Canadian Harm Reduction Network. The network’s site includes selective access to the International Journal of Drug Policy and open access to the Harm Reduction Journal: http://www.canadianharmreduction.com/

Drug and Alcohol Findings is a British site that publishes summaries of research in support of effective responses to drug and alcohol problems: http://www.findings.org.uk/

The Drug Policy Alliance Network (DPA Network) is the leading organization in the United States promoting policy alternatives to the drug war that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights: http://www.drugpolicy.org/

DrugSense. This American site seeks to provide accurate information relevant to drug policy in order to heighten awareness of the extreme damage of the current flawed and failed “War on Drugs.” DrugSense aims to inform the public of the existence of rational alternatives to the drug war, and to help organize citizens to bring about needed reforms: http://www.drugsense.org/

European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction of the European Union was set up to provide factual, objective, reliable and comparable information concerning drugs, drug addiction and their consequences. It publishes an annual report of the state of drugs problem in Europe: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/

International Harm Reduction Association. The Association’s mission is to promote harm reduction on a global basis through an integrated programme of research, advocacy, information sharing, networking and collaboration: http://www.ihra.net/

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). Founded in 2002, LEAP is made up of current and former members of law enforcement who believe the existing drug policies have failed in their intended goals of addressing the problems of crime, drug abuse, addiction, juvenile drug use, stopping the flow of illegal drugs into this country and the internal sale and use of illegal drugs. It believes that by fighting a war on drugs the governments have increased the problems of society and made them far worse. A system of regulation rather than prohibition is a less harmful, more ethical and a more effective public policy. It was founded in the United States but has members world-wide: http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php.

The Media Awareness Project (MAP). This American site contains well organised collection of newspaper articles bearing on drug policy from a number of countries including Australia and New Zealand: http://drugnews.org/.

The New Zealand Drug Foundation is committed to reducing and preventing the harm caused by drugs in New Zealand. This includes social and health harms caused by legal drugs, such as tobacco and alcohol, as well as illegal drugs, such as cannabis: http://www.nzdf.org.nz/

Transform Drug Policy Foundation is a very well informed British organisation that exists to promote sustainable health and wellbeing by bringing about a just, effective and humane system to regulate and control drugs at local, national and international levels: http://www.tdpf.org.uk/

UN Drug Agencies

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC ). is the umbrella organization that makes up the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) and the Centre for International Crime Prevention (CICP). It also includes the Terrorism Prevention Branch and the Global Programmes against Money Laundering, Corruption, Organized Crime and Trafficking in Human beings. With the World Health Organization it supports effective measures to prevent the spread of blood borne diseases including the provision of sterile syringes in prisons: www.unodc.org.

Commission for Narcotic Drugs (CND). The Commission claims to be the central policy-making body within the United Nations system dealing with drug-related matters. It analyses the world drug situation and develops proposals to strengthen the international drug control system to combat the world drug problem”. It is also the “the governing body of UNDCP”. www.unodc.org/unodc/en/cnd.html

United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). It was founded in 1991 with a mission to educate the world about the dangers of drug abuse. The Programme aims to strengthen international action against drug production, trafficking and drug-related crime through alternative development projects, crop monitoring and anti-money laundering programmes: www.unodc.org/unodc/en/undcp.html

International Narcotics Control Board (INCB): It was established in 1968 by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961. It is ostensibly an independent and quasi-judicial control body for the implementation of the United Nations drug conventions. Its 13 members which presently include an Australian, Major Brian Watters, serve in their personal capacity. It criticises the Sydney medically supervised injecting room: www.incb.org

World Health Organisation (WHO) “The objective of WHO is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.” They are the United Nations specialized agency for health involved in various health promotion projects around the world including harm reduction with drug users: www.who.int