Sellers' addiction to profits driving drugs market

Sellers' addiction to profits driving drugs market

Amy Corderoy

Health Editor, Sydney Morning Herald, Article published in The Age June 22, 2013

Australians are spending more than $7 billion each year on illicit drugs, according to groundbreaking research from the Bureau of Statistics.

Drug experts and campaigners say the data shows attempts to police the ''war on drugs'' are completely dwarfed by the population's demand for the products, with Australians spending about seven times more buying drugs in 2010 than governments spent enforcing drug laws.

And the vast majority of the billion-dollar market is going directly into the pockets of drug manufacturers and retailers, with early analysis from the ABS staff research project showing profit margins of more than 80 per cent.

The chief executive of drug harm minimization group Anex, John Ryan, said he was staggered to see how big the drug market actually was.
"The drug market is clearly much bigger than most people give it credit for," he said. "There is no doubt that the profit incentive is driving it''.
He called for a Productivity Commission inquiry to examine the costs of drug use, and how government money was spent dealing with the problem.
Research released this week by the Drug Policy Modelling Program at the University of NSW calculated Australia was spending about $1.1 billion on enforcing drugs laws, dwarfing the $361 million spent on treatment and $36 million for harm reduction.
''These figures put together really blow the idea we have got the drug market in check out of the water,'' Mr Ryan said.
A draft of the ABS staff research seen by Fairfax Media calculates the size of the Australian market using health and law enforcement data on drug use, seizures, purity and import costs.
The $7.1 billion spending estimate for 2010 is nearly twice what official ABS statistics say Australia spends on literature, and $2 billion more than is spent on fashion.

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MediNat Comment

Staggering statistics and a clear indictment of our society, and lack of real alternatives to failed Law enforcement to curb or dare I say stop the problem. The law enforcers do all they can with the resources they have, and in many ways it would most certainly be much worse without them.

However as has been argued for many years "is law enforcement, higher penalties and a stronger punitive approach" the answer?

History tells us it certainly isn't!

Is legalization the answer as many would like us to believe, well if alcohol is any indicator, no! that doesn't work either, it shifts the cost and carnage, reaching a broader cross section of society with costs far exceeding those of managing the illicit drug market.

The director of the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation, Professor Ian Webster says The previous estimates back in 2005 were that alcohol costs Australia about $15.3 billion. Then adding to that the social costs, which go beyond the medical, health and more quantifiable costs and extend to these social impacts, that gets doubled by about another $20 billion.

So it's estimated that the economic cost, at least, in Australia as a whole is $36 billion from alcohol related harm. reference:

Sort of makes the Illicit drug market pale in comparison.

Just add it up: 

$1.1 billion on enforcing drugs laws, 

$361 million spent on treatment and 

$36 million for harm reduction.

Plus the illicit drug trade $7 Billion

So the argument for legalization is a little thin if not highly dangerous in terms of cost and social carnage!

The answer I believe lies with us, each and every one of us, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends. Society holds the answer but is way to busy pushing the problem to law enforcement and the judicial system because we in our society would rather someone else to deal with it! why? because we are poorly equipped! too busy! just don't have the skills to deal with it! or it is just too hard, much easier to make it the problem/responsibility of someone else !

What would it take? a complete overhaul of the system of drug consumption including alcohol, a complete overhaul of our social fabric, education and support for every member of society. Supported by Government and last but not least law enforcement.

I seriously doubt it will ever happen, just a dream but one I choose to think we could achieve if we really wanted to change all this carnage!

This is my personal opinion.

Graham

Come to MediNat Australia for all your drug testing needs until something changes!

You may want to read my next article on the New Zealand experiment.