Illicit Drug Use Within Australia example essay topic

Various international treaties and conventions (e.g. International Narcotics Control Board), has provided Australia with guidelines and regulatory measures that the Commonwealth government must put into action within the criminal justice system. Australia became a part of significant treaties and conventions to uphold strong alliances with other nations (Such as the U.S. ). The preparedness of Australian Governments to sign these various treaties, and modify domestic drug laws accordingly, seems largely to have been a function of the country's subordinate status on the world stage, and its desire to be seen as a good 'international citizen', rather than being driven by concern within Australia about the problems posed by illicit drugs (Brereton, D. 2000: 90). The Act or drug laws within particular treaties and / or convention was based on basic offenses such as (to name a few), cultivation, possession, trafficking, and supply.

The need for such drug laws was however, a consequence for external development, not so much required in Australia. Countries such as the U.S. prompted such regulation and seem to hold greater power in pushing these developments forward. A number of concerns have arisen over the last decade into reasons why certain drug policies have been passed within National and International boarders. To help and explain how prohibition became the only means of limiting drug use and regulation of drugs. Drug use was seen to increase public costs and deduct time and profit from employers and within society according to certain governments. The economic argument centres on the profits to be made by the sellers on the one hand and the losses sustained by employers of users and / or society in general (Brown, Farrier, Egger and McNamara.

2001: 1070). This suggests that not only would drug use be seen as a problem within State and National boarders, but also internationally. Therefore it was believed that if all Commonwealth government were under the same treaties and / or convention this would decrease the use of Psychotropic substances, and also, deter drug trafficking, supply and demand. Another important factor that increased prohibition of only certain drugs within Industrialized Western Countries was argued by Brown et al (2001: 1071) we can derive a powerful and historically sustainable argument that those drugs which are currently legal in Western Countries are those in which there is an indigenous history both of use and capital investment, while those which are illegal are those which are produced in Third World Countries, where the costs of use exceed the profit to be to be made. Australia, along with the U.S. and Britain has displayed xenophobic policies to immigrants, in particular, the Chinese. The use of opiates within Chinese culture provides ample opportunity for foreign immigration policies to invest a fear of the race within its citizens.

The White Australia policy passed legislation which imposed an import duty which can be seen as the first salvo in the drug war in Australia; already its theme of anti-Chinese discrimination (Manderson 1993: 21) and then followed was prohibited use of narcotics. It is important to note however that the first law used to prohibit opium did not concentrate solely on the Chinese user. The first law was to prevent the supply (opiates) to any Aboriginal native or half caste except for medicinal purposes (Manderson 1993: 32). The laws of the White Australia policy clearly demonstrate a xenophobic nation.

The United States were one of the fist nations to lay done the foundation for prohibition against the Chinese. Then with the emergence of the 1961 Single Convention, followed by the 1971 Psychotropic Substance Convention, other signatory members along with the U.S. abide to prohibition laws. The drug laws of Australia represent the nature of international treaties and conventions which are not beneficial for illicit drug use within Australia..