Publications
The Prevention of Substance Use, Risk and Harm in Australia - a review of the evidence
This page contains links to the publication 'The Prevention of Substance Use, Risk and Harm in Australia - a review of the evidence'.
Report prepared by the National Drug Research Institute and the Centre for Adolescent Health
Published for Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing
2004
As a contribution to the development of a National Prevention Agenda, the Department of Health and Ageing commissioned a consortium comprising the National Drug Research Institute (Curtin University) and the Centre for Adolescent Health (Melbourne University) to consolidate national and international evidence on best practice in prevention of substance misuse.The researchers examined international and national data, literature and programs that provide evidence of good practice in preventing or delaying the onset of drug use and that address the risk and harm known to be associated with drug use. The resulting monograph is a comprehensive document which outlines patterns of substance use and harm, considers risk and protective factors predictive of harmful drug use and extensively reviews the evidence available on national and international prevention strategies and approaches. The monograph is so extensive that it was decided to also produce a summary of the monograph's research and findings for use be people who require an overview of the findings on research into prevention.
For copies, please contact the National Mail and Marketing hotline on (02) 6269 1000 or email: health@nationalmailing.com.au
- The Prevention of Substance Use, Risk and Harm in Australia - a review of the evidence (PDF file 1.6 MB) (Full document)
- The Prevention of Substance Use, Risk and Harm in Australia - a review of the evidence - Summary (PDF file 427 KB)
By Chapter
Abbreviations (PDF file 57 KB)
Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Patterns of Substance Use and Harm
- Chapter 10 - Demand Reduction (PDF file 224 KB)
- Chapter 11 - Regulation and Law Enforcement of Licit Drugs (PDF file 167 KB)
- Chapter 12 - Regulation and Law Enforcement of Illicit Drugs (PDF file 194 KB)
- Chapter 13 - Judicial Procedures (PDF file 156 KB)
- Chapter 14 - Harm Reduction (PDF file 184 KB)
References (PDF file 306 KB)
If you are having difficulty downloading the PDF document(s) please email phd.webmaster@health.gov.au and we will arrange for an alternative format or a copy to be sent to you.
Publications
- Use of tobacco, alcohol, and over-the-counter and illicit substances among Indigenous students participating in the Australian Secondary Students Alcohol and Drug Survey 2008
- Treatment service users (TSU) project: phase two
- National needle and syringe programs strategic framework 2010-2014
- Comorbidity treatment service model evaluation
- The Impact of the PBS Reform - Report to the Parliament
Help with accessing large documents
When accessing large documents (over 500 KB in size), it is recommended that the following procedure be used:
- Click the link with the RIGHT mouse button
- Choose "Save Target As.../Save Link As..." depending on your browser
- Select an appropriate folder on a local drive to place the downloaded file
Attempting to open large documents within the browser window (by left-clicking)
may inhibit your ability to continue browsing while the document is
opening and/or lead to system problems.
Help with accessing PDF documents
To view PDF (Portable Document Format) documents, you will need to have a PDF reader installed on your computer. A number of PDF readers are available through the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) Web Guide website.

