Is the war on drugs over?

We are privileged to have two distinguished speakers in this area who will deliver individual talks and facilitate a joint Q & A session on this topic. Discussions will cover areas such as challenges to drug laws, alternative approaches, what works, the effects of criminalising drugs.

Speakers

Dr Alex Wodak

Dr Alex Wodak AM, President of the Australia Drug Law Reform Foundation, is an Emeritus Consultant at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, where he was Director of the Alcohol and Drug Service from 1982 until he retired in 2012. He became interested in drug law reform in the 1980s while actively advocating for the establishment of needle syringe programs to reduce the spread of HIV among and from people who inject drugs which was vigorously opposed by supporters of drug prohibition.

Dr Caitlin Hughes

Dr Hughes is a criminologist and Senior Research Fellow at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. She works as part of the multi-disciplinary Drug Policy Modelling Program (DPMP) which seeks to improve Australian drug policy by identifying what works, translating research evidence and engaging directly with policy makers. Dr Hughes' prime focus is improving understanding of the effects of different legislative regimes and law enforcement approaches, and the role of law enforcement relative to other aspects of drug policy.

Projects include: the impacts of the Portuguese decriminalisation of illicit drug use; mapping out police and criminal justice diversionary policies throughout Australia; identifying optimum policing responses for responding to MDMA and determining legal thresholds for serious drug trafficking offences. Projects have often been undertaken in collaboration with Australian policy makers, including Queensland Health and Police, NSW Police and the ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety, or international organisations, including the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Other interests include analysing the policy processes by which drug policy reform occurs.