Features:
19 February 2024
VAADA Conference 2025 Panel Discussion - Vaping in focus: health, policy and regulation
Over the last decade, vaping have emerged as a significant national and global issue. This has sparked intense debate about the impacts of e-cigarettes and vaping on public health, the environment, community safety due to the involvement of organised crime groups, and Australia’s world-leading success in reducing population-level cigarette use. This panel brings together experts from diverse fields to explore the complexities of this pressing issue. Despite Australia’s claim of a world leading regulatory framework, e-cigarettes continue to be imported, sold, and used beyond state control. Addressing topics such as a new age of nicotine dependence, impact on children and young people, lost tax revenue, effective regulatory models, as well as ethical and philosophical considerations, the panel offers a multifaceted discussion to illuminate this challenging public health concern.
Moderator: Dr Kate Seear | Professor, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society La Trobe University Panelists: Dr James Martin | Senior Lecturer, Criminology Course Director, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University Dr Mary Walker | Lecturer Philosophy, La Trobe University Dr David Hayward | Emeritus Professor of Public Policy and the Social Economy, RMIT University Dr Hester Wilson | GP and Addiction Medicine Specialist, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Emeritus Professor Wayne Hall | National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research, University of Queensland
19 February 2024
VAADA Conference 2025: Keynote Dr James Martin
Black market economics: enforcement, adaptation, and the paradox of prohibition Dr James Martin, Senior Lecturer, Criminology Course Director, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University The keynote explores the unintended consequences of drug law enforcement in Australia. It begins by examining longitudinal trends in drug arrests, seizures, and enforcement funding, highlighting the escalation of prohibition efforts. This is followed by an analysis of key market indicators for our most popular illicit drugs (e.g., cannabis, cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine), including prevalence, price, accessibility, and purity, revealing a paradox: drug availability is increasing despite intensified enforcement. The keynote then introduces potential causal mechanisms such as game theory, the kingpin strategy, and other unintended consequences of enforcement, explaining how traffickers adopt a ‘smuggler’s mindset’ which enables them to adapt to intensified enforcement. A contemporary case study on the emerging war on nicotine will then draw parallels with traditional drug markets, illustrating how similar enforcement strategies are generating black market opportunities. The keynote ultimately questions the effectiveness of prohibition and advocates for a reconsideration of enforcement-led approaches in favour of demand and harm reduction strategies.