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Supply control and harm reduction: lessons from the Australian heroin 'drought'
Don Weatherburn1, Craig Jones, Karen Freeman
1NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Sydney, Australia. don_j_weatherburn@agd.nsw.gov.au
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
|December 21, 2002
Summary
Drug law enforcement reduced heroin availability, leading to decreased use and overdoses. However, this also saw increased use of other drugs, with no lasting impact on crime rates.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Public Health
- Drug Policy
Background:
- Supply-side drug law enforcement aims to reduce drug availability.
- Disrupting illegal drug markets can offer insights into drug use dynamics and associated harms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of reduced heroin availability on the Australian heroin market.
- To assess the effects of supply-side enforcement on heroin use and related harms.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from heroin users in South-Western Sydney.
- Utilized the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) project data.
- Examined NSW Health overdose records and the COPS database.
Main Results:
- Heroin shortage led to increased prices, decreased purity, consumption, and expenditure.
- A significant reduction in heroin overdoses was observed in NSW.
- Increased use of alternative drugs, such as cocaine, was noted; crime rates remained unaffected.
Conclusions:
- Supply control can contribute to harm reduction strategies.
- Unintended consequences, like increased use of other substances, must be considered.
- Effective drug law enforcement requires balancing market disruption with potential adverse outcomes.