Drug Abuse in Australia essay

This shows that there is definitely an urgent need by the government to come up with new strategies for addressing the drug abuse menace before things get out of control. Drug Abuse Menace in Australia Statement of the Issue Drug abuse is a global problem that requires joint efforts by the international community in a bid to reduce the resulting serious health complications. According to the Australian Associated Press (2013), Australia is among the countries with high health burden caused by the abuse of drugs such as cocaine, opioids, cannabis, amphetamines among others. However, Haber and Day (2014) assert that the rate of the substance in the country cannot be compared to some countries such as the United States where the rate of use of illicit drugs is mind-blowing.

Despite the government efforts to restrict the use and supply of illicit drugs, the trend in prevalence of these drugs seems to be rising. Drug abuse in Australia has been making headlines on both the local and global news channels raising questions on why the government has relented on the fight against drug abuse. Drug abuse has been reported as the number one cause of premature deaths, claiming thousands of innocent lives every year. It is the high time the government implements a new strategy to address the drug menace that has had adverse impacts on the society for centuries. This is because, the negative impacts of substance abuse are not only felt by the substance abusers but also the community where they dwell (Li, & Caltabiano, 2018).

The fight against illicit drug use is, therefore, a joint task between the government and the society. People later realized that it could be an effective pain reliever and therefore they started using it “as a way of relieving stress” (Lennon, 2014). Soldiers who sustained injuries on the battlefields would be treated using opium in order to dull pain and they later became addicted to the drug. Opium was originally cultivated in Britain in early during the 18th century. The British had to seek a market for the drug and China was the first target. However, the Chinese government sought ways of ending opium importation from Britain but it did not succeed. The other method the government may use is by intensifying security at the borders as well as in the airports.

Some drug traffickers smuggle drugs into the country through the porous borders or through the airports. The government must, therefore, seek to tighten the security at these two points in order to reduce to the barest minimum smuggling of drugs into the country. Finally, the government must ensure every citizen has access to affordable medicine from authorized health institutions. Failure to access to affordable medication may compel individuals to go for cheap and unprescribed over the counter medication that may be harmful to their health. Australia found to have one of the world's worst drug problems.  The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www. theguardian. com/society/2013/aug/29/drugs-health-australia-youth-culture Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Beyond ice: rethinking Australia's approach to illicit drugs.