The Australian government's current approach to the ice epidemic is only "digging a deeper hole" and progressive policy is needed, say two drug addiction experts.
A "harsh" approach is not just ineffective but counter-productive, Dr Matthew Frei and Dr Alex Wodak write in the Medical Journal of Australia.
They say despite the recommendations of last year's Ice Taskforce, the government continues to define addiction to ice as a criminal justice problem.
The drug addiction doctors suggest contempt and an unwillingness to help those with a serious drug problem has aided the expansion of the illicit drug market in Australia.
"Governments continue to define the issue as primarily a criminal justice problem, using pejorative terms when referring to people who use drugs, and generously support law enforcement measures while parsimoniously funding health and social interventions," they say.
"Australian Commonwealth, state and territory governments allocated about two-thirds of drug spending to law enforcement and only nine per cent for prevention, 21 per cent for drug treatment and two per cent to harm reduction over the 2009-10 financial year.
"After decades of this approach, Australia's illicit drug market is expanding. Not only are illict drugs easy to obtain but prices have fallen and many newly identified psychoactive drugs have appeared, often more dangerous than older drugs," Dr Frei and Dr Wodak said.
Drug use surveillance found that between 2009 and 2014 the proportion of drug users finding it "easy" or "very easy" to obtain ice, or crystalline methylamphetamine, increased from 65 per cent to 91 per cent.
Ice use increased from 37 per cent to 61 per cent in this time.
While this demand remains strong there will "always" be a supply, wrote Dr Frei, the clinical director of drug treatment centre Turning Point, and Dr Wodak from St Vincent's Hospital Alcohol and Drug service.
Progressive government policy, they say, is what is needed to redefine drug use as a health and social issue.
"British politician Denis Healey was fond of saying 'if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging'. It's time Australia took this advice when responding to illicit drugs."
Dr Frei and Dr Wodak said consideration must be given to drug consumption rooms, to be placed in drug "hot spots", as as a way to offer information about harm reduction and treatment.
They also support the provision of ice using equipment.
