Illicit Drugs – General

An illicit drug is one that is illegal to have (for example, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine), and the non-medical use of drugs that are legally available such as pain killers and sleeping pills [1][2].

What are the harms from using illicit drugs?

Using illicit drugs can lead to health problems including [1][3]:

• risk of overdose
• chronic disease (heart and liver problems)
• blood-borne viruses (infections like hepatitis and HIV)
• lower levels of social and emotional wellbeing (mental health problems)
• increased risk of suicide.

The whole community can be affected by the negative impacts associated with illicit drug use such as; an increased risk of harm to children and families as well as violence, assault and crime [2].

Australia has a harm minimisation approach to addressing harms from illicit drug use which includes [2]:

• demand reduction – preventing uptake of first use and supporting people to recover
• supply reduction – controlling and reducing illicit drug availability
• harm reduction – reducing risky behaviour and providing safer settings.

This approach requires a coordinated multi agency response across jurisdictions.