Attitudes to Drug Policy in Australia, 2001-2022/23: What Does This Mean for Drug Policy Reform in Australia?

We are at a critical juncture for drug policy reform. Toxic drug supply is driving unprecedented deaths in North America, with countries calling for decriminalisation. Policy reform in Australia has occurred in some states (e.g., decriminalisation in the Australian Capital Territory), stalling in others (e.g., the second supervised injecting facility [SIF] in Victoria). The objectives of this paper are to present trends in attitudes to drug policy in Australia, 2001-2022/23 and media reporting of related policies, to explore how public opinion and media attention have changed over time.

Analysis of (i) National Drug Strategy Household Survey data on attitudes to drugs/drug policies; and (ii) Factiva for media reporting.

In 2022/23, Australians supported needle and syringe programs (67.8%), SIFs (58.3%), take home naloxone (60.9%) and drug checking services (64.4%). They opposed legalisation of methamphetamine (86.6%), heroin (85.6%), cocaine (78.2%) and ecstasy (75.8%), while a larger proportion supported cannabis legalisation (44.6%). Australians supported a health response to possession of drugs (57.3% for methamphetamine, 80.9% for cannabis) rather than a criminal response. Methamphetamine was increasingly reported as the drug of most concern (2.9%-42.5%), decreasing for heroin (44.9%-11.4%), 2001-2022/23. Methamphetamine media articles increased (272-2426); heroin decreased (2136-973), 2000-2023. Mentions increased for SIFs (spiking at 175, 2019) and decriminalisation/legalisation (spiking at 242, 2019).

Support for harm reduction remains high and low for legalisation. Media focused on methamphetamine, SIFs and decriminalisation/legalisation. Despite opposition towards legalisation, most Australians favoured a health response to drug use.