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Collaborative research projects with service providers and their clients are becoming increasingly important for capturing a more comprehensive understanding of criminological matters. This article...

The 'war on drugs' has engendered significant recent debate, encompassing a variety of opinions, evidence and knowledge (though often polarised), from a wide range of sources. In Australia, much of this debate has focused on the harms and risks associated with illicit drugs. Often of concern has been young people's use of illicit drugs in nightclubs, which recent media and government reports suggest has increased and requires critical review given young people's relative lack of knowledge and their desire for risk-taking behaviour. While there have been many attempts to address this subject, the persistence of this practice questions the effectiveness of current 'expert' strategies and highlights the need for a more nuanced, bottom-up approach. This article draws from mixed-method research that examined young people's risk perceptions, leisure practices and, for some, use of methamphetamines in five key nightclubs in Adelaide, South Australia. The article provides a snapshot of the prevalence of methamphetamine use, evaluates current policy responses, and details key empirical findings, concluding that there is need for a more open and diverse policy dialogue.

Since its emergence in the mid-1990s the increased use, illegal importation and home production of methamphetamine in Australia have sparked significant concern among the community, law enforcement agencies and policy-makers alike. In particular, the normalisation of methamphetamine consumption within some sub-groups, notably young people through the dance-party scene, has elicited a strong media concern and reactive law enforcement response. The classification and sale of pseudoephedrine through pharmacies, the implementation of Project STOP, and the intensification of punitive regulations are just some examples of the tough-on-crime reaction of the Federal and State governments. However, the response to the emerging methamphetamine so-called 'epidemic' in Australia should also encompass a critical analysis of the demand-side of the illicit drug industry. Given the need to focus on the safety and welfare of individuals within the community, Australia's response to this synthetic drug has recently begun moving towards more comprehensive demand-reduction initiatives and treatments.