Our Council recommends that the focus in 2006 should be on reducing demand-

All countries that have reduced illicit drug use have understood that it is necessary to reduce the demand for illicit drugs.

Reducing demand for illicit drugs compliments efforts to reduce the supply of illicit drugs.

The reduction in the demand for illicit drugs in any community involves a substantial reduction in the number of illicit drug users.

Any reduction in the demand for illicit drugs reduces the money available to drug pushers and criminal activity.

Any reduction in the number of illicit drug users will reduce the drug-related deaths and health impacts of the users and their families.

Overseas experience has proven that the benefits of reducing demand for illicit drugs comes ONLY from eliminating illicit drug use by users.

Resources invested into diversion programs and rehabilitation to a drug free state is the ONLY way to reduce demand for illicit drugs.

Programs that maintain users in the use of drugs will ultimately fail, as they do not tackle the reason for drug use.

Australia must learn from the experience of successful overseas countries by focussing their illicit drug demand reduction policies on providing detoxification and rehabilitation.

Courts should be used to direct illicit drug users into detoxification and rehabilitation until the users are drug free permanently.

Australian illicit drug demand reduction policies should have the objective that no more than 4 per cent of teenagers having used an illicit drug in the past year.

THE DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS-
More detoxification & rehabilitation that gets illicit drug users drug free.
Court ordered and supervised detoxification & rehabilitation.
Less illicit drug users, drug pushers and drug related crimes.
1/2006