The mantra “war against drugs” sounds great from a distance, but
on closer inspection, it’s a misleading, sweeping
generalisation. There are, in fact, many different,
contradictory and inconsistent policies on drug use control.
These represent uneasy compromises driven by conflicting
ideologies in our society. Conflicts arise over the perceived
damage the drugs might do, the amount of effort required to
control the drug, and how accepted the drug is within sections
of our society. Let’s look at each drug in turn. Most – 80% – of
drug-related deaths are a result of diseases caused by tobacco.
Through changing social attitudes and legislation, we’ve been
able to reduce the prevalence of smoking, reduce the harm from
smoking and improve community health. The conflict has been
considerable, as the current high court challenge of the
Australian government by the tobacco giants illustrate. And, we
now have huddles of addicts stand outside public buildings,
creating a cloud of smoke to welcome visitors. At the botto