The keynote explores the unintended consequences of drug law enforcement in Australia. It begins by examining longitudinal trends in drug arrests, seizures, and enforcement funding, highlighting the escalation of prohibition efforts. This is followed by an analysis of key market indicators for our most popular illicit drugs (e.g., cannabis, cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine), including prevalence, price, accessibility, and purity, revealing a paradox: drug availability is increasing despite intensified enforcement.
The keynote then introduces potential causal mechanisms such as game theory, the kingpin strategy, and other unintended consequences of enforcement, explaining how traffickers adopt a ‘smuggler’s mindset’ which enables them to adapt to intensified enforcement. A contemporary case study on the emerging war on nicotine will then draw parallels with traditional drug markets, illustrating how similar enforcement strategies are generating black market opportunities.
The keynote ultimately questions the effectiveness of prohibition and advocates for a reconsideration of enforcement-led approaches in favour of demand and harm reduction strategies.
