NDRI research expertise informs harm prevention policy
NDRI researchers outlined the latest evidence around the health impacts of alcohol and other drugs to a Commonwealth Parliamentary committee in Perth in mid-April.
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport is conducting an inquiry into the health impacts of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use in Australia.
The Committee invited NDRI to provide verbal evidence during its Perth public hearings, following a wide-ranging written submission NDRI made to the inquiry.
Seven NDRI subject matter experts, including NDRI Director Professor Paul Griffiths, highlighted a range of AOD issues, including: trends in alcohol use, including declines among young adults and gender convergence; the increasingly dangerous international drug market, including new psychoactive substances; drug checking; new data on declines in purity adjusted price for heroin and methamphetamine in Australia; alcohol availability, in particular home delivery; and, the expansion of medicinal cannabis in Australia, including concerns about commercialism.
Among other aims, the inquiry is assessing outcomes from existing AOD services and programs and examining how sectors beyond health can contribute to preventing and reducing AOD-related harms in Australia.
Find out more about the inquiry here and NDRI’s research here
Posted on: 16 Apr 2026
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