RARELY does a politician admit that his child is an addict. When Bob Hawke, a former prime minister, did so more than 30 years ago, many parents could identify with him: Australia was sliding towards a nasty heroin problem. Use of the opioid, which became popular during the Vietnam war, rose fourfold during the 1990s. By the end of the decade, almost 150,000 Aussies were shooting up regularly. As overdoses and blood-borne virus transmissions increased, wonks in Canberra devised a “Tough on Drugs” policy, which was more sensitive than it sounds. In addition to pursuing traffickers to curb supply, the government pumped money into education and treatment for addicts. Heroin use dropped by three-quarters.
It has been replaced by methamphetamine, a stimulant which was dished out to pilots in the second world war. Over a quarter of a million Australians are thought to be using it. That constitutes the highest rate of addiction in the world (see chart). Researchers disagree about whether that figure is rising. Existing users are certainly consuming more of its strongest, crystalline form, known locally as “ice”. The share of meth-users on crystal rather than...Continue reading
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