National Amphetamine-Type Stimulant Strategy Background Paper: Monograph Series No. 69
1.1 Background to the National Amphetamine-Type Stimulant Strategy
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- List of Tables
- List of Figures
Chapter 1: Introduction- 1.1 Background to the National Amphetamine-Type Stimulant Strategy
- 1.2 Defining amphetamine-type stimulants
- 1.3 History of amphetamine-type stimulants
- 1.4 Forms of illicit amphetamine-type stimulants
- 1.5 Australian data collections
- 1.6 Availability
- 1.7 Price
- 1.8 Purity
- 1.9 Routes of administration
- 1.10 Summary
Chapter 2 Setting the Context- Chapter 3: Effects of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants
- Chapter 4: Prevention and Harm Reduction
- Chapter 5: Treatment and Service Provision
- Chapter 6: Law Enforcement
- Appendix 1
- Appendix 2
The National Drug Strategy (NDS) and its forerunner, the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NCADA), have provided the national policy framework on drugs since 1985. The NDS is the responsibility of the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy (MCDS). The MCDS is the peak policy and decision making body on licit and illicit drugs in Australia, and is responsible for developing policies and programs to reduce the demand, supply and harm associated with drugs and their impact on individuals, families and communities in Australia. It brings together Australian Government, State and Territory Ministers responsible for health and law enforcement, and the Australian Government Minister responsible for education.
The MCDS liaises with, and provide reports to, the Australasian Police Ministers’ Council, the Australian Health Ministers’ Council, the Ministerial Council on Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, the Ministerial Council for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and other ministerial councils on matters of joint responsibility and priority in relation to the NDS. The MCDS is supported in its role by an advisory structure which includes the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs (IGCD) and the Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) as principal bodies responsible for the provision of advice to the MCDS on the development and implementation of policies and programs.
In May 2004, the National Drug Strategy: Australia’s Integrated Framework 2004‑2009 was endorsed by the MCDS (Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, 2004). A key outcome from the framework has been the development of a set of strategy documents focused on individual drugs which are designed to ensure a consistent approach to the reduction in supply, demand and associated harms.
Australia’s NDS aims to reduce drug-related harm and improve health, social and economic outcomes for both the individual and the community. It includes a wide range of approaches and encourages a balance between demand reduction, supply reduction and harm reduction strategies. For example, it encompasses:
- supply reduction strategies to disrupt the production and supply of illicit drugs, and the control and regulation of licit substances;
- demand reduction strategies to prevent the uptake of harmful drug use, including abstinence orientated strategies and treatment to reduce drug use; and
- harm reduction strategies to reduce drug-related harm to individuals and communities.
Individual jurisdictions and non-government organisations continue to develop plans and strategies that reflect the key elements of the NDS, and report annually on implementation of programs, activities and initiatives. A number of participants in the community consultations asked that there be consistency in the development of the strategy in terms of applying the NDS principles outlined above and that the National Amphetaminetype Stimulant (ATS) Strategy be linked to two other national strategies that have been developed for alcohol and cannabis.
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The NDS framework and the Law Enforcement Component of the National ATS Strategy provided the framework and starting point for determining the important issues in relation to ATS. Existing national strategies and action plans such as the National Action Plan on Illicit Drugs (NAPID) 2001 to 2002-03 and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Complementary Action Plan 2003-2006, were also drawn upon. NAPID identified seven key areas that are also the focus of this report:
- demand reduction: promotion of opportunities, settings, and values that promote resilience and reduce the uptake and use of drugs and the risks of drug use;
- supply reduction: interventions to reduce availability and supply;
- treatment;
- harm reduction;
- workforce development;
- research; and
- monitoring illicit drug trends.
Other key sources of information were the National Leadership Forum on Ice (2006) held in Sydney and the recent Australian National Council on Drugs (2007) position paper on methamphetamine. In addition to an extensive review of the literature and research to date, consultations were undertaken in every jurisdiction of Australia in capital cities and regional areas between March and June 2007 (see Appendix 1). Community members and representatives from a range of sectors were invited to attend the forums and attendees had the opportunity to express views on issues for consideration in developing the Strategy. Participants included drug and alcohol workers, criminal justice workers, police, government representatives, researchers, educators, Indigenous representatives, consumer groups, health professionals, and other relevant stakeholders. Specific forums for canvassing the views of consumers, young people, and Indigenous community members were also held.
Written submissions to inform development of the National ATS Strategy were sought using several approaches. First, participants at the consultation forums were invited to make submissions and encouraged to inform colleagues of the opportunity. Second, formal invitations to make a written submission were sent to 107 organisations across Australia, including peak community bodies, health services, law enforcement, justice system, and non-government organisations. This list was generated from those invited to make submissions as part of development of the National Cannabis Strategy and updated to include agencies that might have an interest or involvement in responding to ATS problems. Third, the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing placed an advertisement in a key newspaper in each State and Territory, inviting written submissions. Fourth, details of how to make a written submission were posted on the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) website and on the list server of the Alcohol and Drug Council of Australia (ADCA). A total of 22 written submissions were received (see Appendix 2).
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