SYDNEY, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A 20th century approach to drug policy is no longer sufficient, according to a group of leading Australian experts who released a joint paper on Thursday calling for a more-evidence based approach to the issue.
The five-paper series published in renowned medical journal, The Lancet, reviewed global evidence on emerging drug trends, concluding that policy needs to adapt faster, and respond more humanely.
Forefront of the review were four main issues -- the ongoing opioid crisis, expansion of cannabis legalization, widespread stimulant use and arrival of new psychoactive substances (NPS).
"Globalization and developments in information technology have transformed drug availability and use, and professional and public policy discourse need to adapt to these new challenges," report co-author Professor Louisa Degenhardt from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) said.
According to the report, between 35-72 million people are estimated to have drug use disorders globally.
Of particular concern is the rapid development of NPS, which comprise a large variety of substances, and can quickly enter and exit the market, making them very difficult to monitor and control.
Co-author Dr. Amy Peacock from the NDARC suggests that considering these difficulties, less focus should be placed on the legal status of new substances, and more on improving prevention, treatment, and harm reduction.
"In a world in which different substances can be rapidly introduced, and where people who use drugs change preferences depending on availability amongst other factors, the current means of responding to emerging substances might no longer be fit for purpose," Peacock said.
Degenhardt added that underlying negative attitudes towards drug users are contributing to a lack of effective and humane treatment.
Proven effective treatments, such as opioid agonist treatment (OAT), which according to the report is the most effective treatment for opioid dependence, are not implemented on a sufficient scale partly due to a lack of humanity and understanding in the current approach.
"Despite their superiority, these effective interventions go underfunded, while other ineffective interventions that are well intentioned or shaped by moral judgements are strongly supported," she said.
"In the face of growing and evolving drug challenges, we must turn our backs on old ways of thinking and encourage new humane approaches -- championing this new approach to encourage change worldwide."
