Law enforcement directed at interdicting supply
Traditionally, the underlying strategy of drug policy has been to deploy law enforcement
to prevent supplies of illicit drugs reaching consumers. Even so it has long been
recognised that elimination of supplies is impossible. Instead, law enforcement has
focussed on disrupting the supply with a view to reducing the amount on the market.
For its part the Federal Government continues to publicise large drug seizures as
evidence of the effectiveness of its law enforcement policy. In fact such evidence is
ambiguous. As the Australian Federal Police has acknowledged, increased seizures may
in fact indicate greater availability of drugs…