NSW: Drug laws don't protect public: study

AAP General News (Australia)
04-23-2007
NSW: Drug laws don't protect public: study

Eds: Embargoed until 0600 AEST on Monday, April 23

By Paul Carter

SYDNEY, April 23 AAP - The authors of a new study showing illicit drug use cost Australian
business $3.3 billion in one year say the law enforcement approach to drugs has failed
to protect people and commerce.

The Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation today released what it claims is the first
known Australian study to quantify the cost of illicit drug use.

The foundation said illicit drug use in 2003 cost Australian business $3.3 billion,
or two per cent of that year's corporate profits.

The Three Billion Dollar Question for Australian Business report counted the cost mostly
in terms of drugs' effect on labour - including a reduced workforce and absenteeism.

"The illicit drugs market draws resources away from legitimate businesses supplying
legal goods and services and paying their fair share of taxes," the report compiled by
economists says.

"If illicit drugs were reduced the business sector would benefit not only from reduced
labour costs and a bigger workforce but also from reduced drug-related property crime
and corruption, and higher consumer demand for legally supplied products.

"The potential for increased business efficiency could lead to greater export competitiveness,
better worker and management rewards, higher profits and higher returns to shareholders."

Foundation president Alex Wodak said a new approach to drugs was needed after the costly
law enforcement approach had largely failed to protect people.

"We would prefer to see a more balanced business-type approach to this problem where
governments invest according to the return on investment," Dr Wodak said.

"We know that return on investment is very good with drug treatment, harm reduction
and social services.

"Other governments around the world have already stopped pretending we can arrest and
imprison our way out of this problem.

"We have to move away from the `war against drugs' language and recognise this is a
problem that is not going to be solved by the I'm-tougher-than-you-are approach."

Dr Wodak said it had been proven that a health and social welfare approach to drugs
shrinks the drug market to a size law enforcement agencies can tackle.

"The problem now is the drug industry is so large that there is no possibility that
drug law enforcement can succeed. It's set up to fail," he said.

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KEYWORD: DRUGS (EMBARGOED)

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