Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question. Illicit drug use is a high-risk activity and has been proven to contribute to social, economic and personal harms. New psychoactive substances are emerging that pose a serious risk to both consumers and the broader community because little is known about their short- or long-term health effects and the exact ingredients are also often unknown. The response of all Australian governments to illicit drugs is focused on implementing the National Drug Strategy 2010-2015, which provides a framework for action on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, guided by the principle of harm minimisation. The strategy is aimed at improving the health, social and economic outcomes for Australians by preventing the uptake of harmful drug use and reducing the harmful effects of licit and illicit drugs in our society. The need to control certain drugs is also recognised at the international level, and the Australian government has ratified a number of international agreements that require the criminalisation of these drugs.