HARM REDUCTION IN AUSTRALIA - HAS IT WORKED - A REVIEW

The literature is reviewed with a view to determining what evidence ex ists for the success of Australia's policy of harm minimization in rel ation to drug use. While there are relatively few examples of strategi es which can unequivocally be said to have succeeded, there are many m ore for which the evidence is suggestive. While there has been a consi derable mushrooming of research since the advent of the National Campa ign on Drug Abuse, it would appear that little of this has measured th e extent to which harm has been reduced. The National Drug Strategy wo uld benefit from more policy-orientated research which measures drug-r elated harm if it is to be, as claimed, research driven.