The need to better understand the role of families in illicit drug problems has long been recognised as a priority area for research in Australia.
Synopsis
In 1998, the SRDC was allocated $4 million to undertake the research component of the Government's National Illicit Drugs Strategy (NIDS), which aims to reduce health-related harm from illicit drug use, examine related social issues, and inform national health policy.
A national workshop was held in November 1998 to develop a research agenda, involving a wide range of stakeholders. Subsequently, a research agenda was finalised and a call was made for research relevant to the following focus areas:
- development of an action plan to design and fund a large-scale longitudinal study of illicit drug usage;
- secondary analysis of primary illicit drug data sets;
- research on population impact and client outcomes of different treatment models;
- comparative analysis of treatment models of service systems;
- heroin overdoses;
- evaluation of diversion treatment; and
- evaluation of family-based approaches.
Multi-site and/or multi-disciplinary collaborative research was encouraged, particularly that involving law enforcement and/or correctional authorities.
In December 1999, sixteen projects were recommended for funding. These were approved, and work on the projects commenced in early 2000.
A second funding round was undertaken in 2000, and four projects were recommended and approved. The focus of this second round is as follows:
- The treatment and prevention of illicit drug use by Indigenous peoples and communities
- Research into the treatment of drug dependencies for heroin, amphetamine, ecstasy and cannabis use.
The remaining funds available under this program were used to undertake literature reviews. The Current state of research on illicit drugs in Australia was published and widely disseminated in late 1999. A second literature review, The role of families in the identification, prevention and treatment of illicit drug problems was commissioned in late 2000, and published in August 2001.
The SRDC plans to evaluate the NIDS Program in the next 12 months.
