CRIM3004 International Perspectives Case study

1. Introduction - Case Study: Impact Of Drugs-Addicted Crimes In Australian Economy, Politics On Globalisation

The stated case study will examine the impact of the increasing drug-related crimes in Australia. Being an explicit continent, known for its iconic landscape and wild life, also had the black side which is surrounded with different offensive actions such as crimes and violence. With the growing population drugs related offences are increasing immensely. The economic and political scenario in the country. It has been observed that 1 individual among 5 in the state (17.9%) had been reportedly engaged with illicit usage of drugs in the past years (2022-2023).

Drug addiction, youth drug usage, and associated crimes are becoming more and more of a topic of conversation as statistics and data from previous years indicate that more kids are getting involved in drug use without understanding the repercussions of their doings. This resulted in the present economy of the country in a way. The youth is always considered as future but when addiction is in the way it may surpass the brighter economy aside. Political stability is influenced by drug trafficking in many aspects as drug operators corrupt prominent figures in industry, business, and government. The drug cartels' wealth allows them to exert influence over politicians whose standing and authority are based on financial gain. This is the way that also hampers the political scenarios that directly impact the economy and all other global aspects. Poor constitutional and economic structure of a country always hamper the globalization factors, therefore impact of drug-addicted crimes are alarming the presence scenario in Australia.

2. Background analysis

2.1. Country Background

The country Australia can be recognized as a result of European exploration and culmination. Torres Straits and Aboriginal people are one of the main sources of the invention of this land d Australian island. The estimated population in the year of 2025 in Australia is 26,898,097. It is also observed that the Australian population is equivalent to 0.33% of the total world population (worldometers.info (2025)).

Drug related crimes have been faced since the early 20th century in the country, which then resulted in the conduction of the first ever conference held on narcotic drugs in Shanghai. Though the country has constitutional democracy where citizens are empowered with the right to elect their candidate. Australia has given immense focus on improving the base of the knowledge for making policies, which will restrain the growing addictive crimes and maintain stability within the country.

2.2 Globalization and Australia

In Australia, the term globalization refers to the expanding interdependence and connectivity of the country's economic aspects and others like, society and cultural aspects with the rest of the world. This creates a bond among the diversity and culture which is fueled by commerce, technological growth, and emigrational activities and also presents both opportunities and difficulties. Globalization promotes global investment in Australia, and countries 'businesses make investments in the foreign spheres, which maintains the forthcoming innovations and economic expansion. Increasing globalization may also result in chaotic scenarios. Migration leads to over population that brings out the aspects of increasing crimes and addictions (Vitale et al. 2021). Youth of the country is in the most alarming page where increasing addictive crimes are arrested.

Due to its abundant natural resources, active involvement in international organizations, robust commercial connections, and open economy, especially those in the Asia-Pacific area, Australia plays an important role in globalization. As the population grows, drug-related offenses are rising dramatically. The nation's political and economic situation. One person out of every five in the state (17.9%) has been found to have used drugs illegally in the previous years (2022–2023). Increasing population led by migration also resulted in poor economy and widespread drug additions among the youths. Considering the situation, several new laws pertaining to e-cigarettes and vapes will take effect in early 2024. Among these are prohibitions on the importation of vapes, including those without nicotine, unless they are used for medical reasons, such as treating nicotine addiction or quitting tobacco use (TGA 2023).

2.3 Penal policy and its political economy type

With mandatory sentencing for some violent crimes and a focus on both punishment and allocation of rehabilitation, life in prison is considered to be the harshest sentence under Australian criminal policy, which is defined by a federal system with state and territory jurisdictions, known as Australian penal policy .Certain serious crimes, such as child sexual assaults, addiction of illicit drugs and murder are subject to mandatory sentencing in country’s jurisdictions, which calls for jail or custodian sentences (Harza, 2024). It has been observed that drugs laws are complex in form and there are several laws which have been applied and included within the Australian laws and order in order to cut the increasing rate of drugs related issues. The Narcotic Drugs Act 1967, this had been implied to regulate the illicit usage of medicines of cannabis in Australia.

3. Key Transnational Organized crime pattern

3.1 Crime pattern

3.1.1. A transnational organized crime:

With an estimated yearly cost of $60 billion, transnational organized crime (TSOC) is a serious threat to Australia, affecting its social cohesion, economy, and security. Drug trafficking, cybercrime, and human trafficking, issues related to money laundering are major concerns, as TSOC groups take advantage of digital infrastructure and technology. Amongst them drug-addicted issues are one of the main concerns that is increasing with the passing days (Cantika and Umniyah, 2023). The Criminal Code Act 1995 — Part 9.1, includes serious offenses related to drugs and illegal usage of it.

3.1.2. Patterns of transitional organized crime:

There are several patterns in which drugs-addictive crimes are being carried out. In many cases it has been observed that Outlaw motorcycle gangs are associated with crimes. They are main sources for the school going teenagers. The national tobacco smoking rate among those aged 14 and older decreased from 11.0% to 8.3% between 2019 and 2022–2023, as shown in Figure 2. Compared to 2.3 million in 2019, that amounts to over 1.8 million smokers per day in 2022–2023 (aihw.gov.au, 2024).

A substantial amount of Australia's drug trade is controlled by other organized criminal syndicates, with amphetamine-like drugs being a particular worry. Drugs trafficking and illegal supply has also abruptly increased the rate of involvement among the teenage and the young people. Though the statistical measurement it has been observed the Australian population increased by about 14% between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2020, the number of illicit drug seizures increased by 74%, the weight of illicit drug seizures increased by 314%, and the number of national illicit drug arrests increased by 96% ‘(acic.gov.au, 2023).

3.1.3. Impact and Challenges:

Economic impacts and challenges: Generally speaking, addicts are more prone to miss or skip work. As a result, both the employee and their employer lose money due to decreased production (Fuller et al. 2024).The annual cost of these organized crime to the Australian community can reach $60.1 billion. The increasing availability of drug sales and other toxic drugs like cocaine on social media, and the increasing expansion of synthetic substances are the main drivers of today's illicit drug market’s continued growth.

Community Safety and Security: Australians' lives are impacted by transnational crime, which compromises community safety and security. Corruption-friendly conditions can be created by organized crime, undermining governmental systems and reducing public confidence in them (Walsh and Fitzgerald, 2022). It has been noticed that supply of the implicit drugs or medicines had expanded their reach and were exploited by the supply of other harmful drugs. Anywhere in the world, synthetic narcotics can be produced cheaply and easily. Fentanyl, for instance, is lethal even in little amounts.

Weakened Governance: Transnational criminal networks can operate with a degree of impunity by taking advantage of loosened borders and weak governance frameworks. Increased criminal activities are the result of increasing population and unemployment that can be the adverse effect of globalization under migration activity (Legrand and Leuprecht, 2021). Therefore to some extent required strict regulations on the state’s legislative laws and orders.

International Cooperation: To effectively combat transnational crime, a well-defined strategy including both domestic and foreign partners is needed. Proper international and national laws are required to be implemented in the trading aspect (Miller, 2022). The Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (C&C Act), is an Australian national law that governs fair commerce, addressing issues such as unfair or restrictive trade practices, deceptive or misleading behavior, and unethical behavior.

3.2 National and international mechanisms to address the TOC trend

Illegal financial transactions cause an estimated $90 billion in losses annually in Africa alone, or around 3.7% of the continent's GDP. Transnational organized crime doesn't just steal money; it steals futures, corrupts communities, and destroys lives. The billions lost to illicit financial flows represent missed opportunities, lost livelihoods, and deepened poverty. In Africa alone, equivalent to nearly $90 billion or about 3.7 per cent of the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is lost yearly to illicit financial flows.

Criminology theory explain TOC

Southern criminology is the theory of democratizing epistemology that opposes the power disparities given on different sectors that have given unusual preference to information generated in the Global North's major or well-known cities (Anthony, et al. 2021.). Considering this theory it can be stated that the favoritism within governmental structure sometimes leads to misuse of the powers, loosened in the laws and order in both the national and international spheres. Criminal acts are being filled with the loosened law and order, which brings indiscipline’s and irregular actions among the society. The increasing rate of drug addictions among the teenage and adults resulted in economical and societal deteriorations.

Comparative criminology: The study of similarities and distinctions among the criminal justice systems of various nations is known as comparative criminology. As for the example researching on the distinctions between the criminal justice systems in Australia and the United States. Considering this theory and the context of the case study, Australia laws and orders can be compared with the USA as to have a check on the liability over laws and order. This will rather help in determining the increasing rate of drugs-addictive crime among the young and adults.

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4. State Crime & Human Rights Abuses

4.1. State Crime of Australia context to Drug-addictive crime:

In contrast to federal crimes, which are looked into by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), "state crime" in Australia refers to offenses that are under the purview of certain states and territories.

As statistics and data from recent years indicate that more youngsters are entering the drug world without understanding the repercussions of their behavior, drug addiction, youth drug use, and associated crimes are receiving more attention (Linacre, 2021). One of the most significant phases of a person's life is school, especially secondary school, where students go through a time when their curiosity, emotional inclinations, and eagerness to try new things might cause them to make poor decisions.

Through a specialist in the field of prevention, such as a nurse, the school should be able to offer a fair analysis of the world of drugs and drug addiction in order to be of fundamental assistance in the prevention of drugs, related hazards, and related crimes (Rowland et al. 2022. ). One of a nurse's primary responsibilities is disease prevention, and with his expertise and ability to empathize, he can be the ideal person to help schools address the issue of drug prevention.

4.2. Critical analysis of Drug-addictive crime

Since the late 1960s, Australia, like the majority of other developed countries, has had to deal with a sharp rise in illegal drug use. Early attempts to address the issue focused almost entirely on law enforcement operations and were not very effective (Paul et al., 2024). Subsequent harm reduction initiatives, which have been in place since the middle of the 1980s, were effective in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS among injecting drug users, but they were unable to stop the rising rate of drug consumption. Australia had one of the highest rates of drug use in the world by the end of the 1990s (health.gov.au (2019)).

4.3. Australia's drug policy:

The Poisons Standard is the legislative document that establishes the restrictions on a substance. Through public engagement, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) oversees and updates it on a regular basis. Schedules that list drugs have an impact on their availability and manner of use. Like:

Schedule 3 substances can only be purchased from a pharmacist and do not need a prescription.

Schedule 8 is a list of prohibited substances. It is illegal to possess these without permission.

Prohibited drugs are listed in Schedule 9.

The Drugs of Dependence Act 1989 (DODA), the Criminal Code 2002 (ACT), and the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2008 (ACT) are among the legislative tools used by the ACT to address drug offenses (health.gov.au (2019)). There are several other laws that can be referred like:

• Import and export regulations
• The Narcotic Drugs Act 1967 — regulates the use of cannabis as medicine in the regions of marijuana
• The Criminal Code Act 1995 — It includes serious drug related crimes.

The growing globalization had a great impact on the lifestyle of the Australian inhabitants. With the passing years modernization is impacting the future of the young youth by creating a virtual world with the help of intoxication for distancing the real issues. It has been observed that an individual's actions undoubtedly depend on his knowledge, and it is appropriate to educate kids about the workings of psychoactive substances and their impacts. However, knowledge barely influences behavior. Compared to adults, young people have an even more pronounced marginal role for knowledge and information in decision-making. Boys are more likely to be influenced by peer pressure, impulsivity, the desire for instant reward, and an underestimation of the consequences of their actions.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that regardless of the real causes like substance addiction, it results in substantial medical, social limitations and mental health, for those who suffer from it, as well as considerable financial structure of the society. In addition to negatively impacting one's physical health, drugs can sour relationships with others and promote social problems like poverty and crime. By deciding not to use drugs, people demonstrate their individuality and self-respect while fending off the influences of society and peer pressure that encourage substance misuse. One person out of every five in the state (17.9%) has been found to have used drugs illegally in the previous years (2022–2023).Australia has placed a great deal of emphasis on expanding the body of knowledge for the creation of laws that would curb the rise in addictive crimes and preserve national stability. The limited importance of knowledge and information in decision-making is much more noticeable for young people than for adults. Societal pressure, impulsivity, the need for immediate satisfaction, and an underestimation of the repercussions of their acts are more likely to have an impact on young boys. It has been also concluded that according to Southern criminology, favoritism within the government can occasionally result in abuse of authority and a relaxation of laws and order on a national and worldwide level. Given this theory and the case study's background, it is possible to compare Australia's rules and regulations to those of the United States in order to assess the latter's responsibility for maintaining law and order.

Reference List

Journals

• Vitale, E., Della Pietà, C., Agresti, R., Lacatena, C. and Gualano, A., 2021. Drug addiction and crime: Prevention begins in schools. Aus J Nursing Res AJNR100024, 1.
• Cantika, S. and Umniyah, A., 2023. Analysis of the Australian government’s security strategy in countering the potential threat of terrorism groups through cyber terrorism instruments. Insignia: Journal of International Relations, 10(2), pp.214-227.
• Fuller, A., Vasek, M., Mariconti, E. and Johnson, S.D., 2024. Understanding and preventing the advertisement and sale of illicit drugs to young people through social media: A multidisciplinary scoping review. Drug and Alcohol Review, 43(1), pp.56-74.
• Walsh, T. and Fitzgerald, R., 2022. Youth justice, community safety and children’s rights in Australia. The International Journal of Children's Rights, 30(3), pp.617-643.
• Legrand, T. and Leuprecht, C., 2021. Securing cross-border collaboration: transgovernmental enforcement networks, organized crime and illicit international political economy. Policy and Society, 40(4), pp.565-586.
• Miller, A.M., 2022. Rod Sims AO–A Decade Leading the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
• Anthony, T., Webb, R., Sherwood, J., Blagg, H. and Deckert, A., 2021. In Defence of Decolonisation: a response toSouthern Criminology.
• Linacre, A., 2021. Wildlife crime in Australia. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences, 5(3), pp.487-494.
• Rowland, B., Kelly, A.B., Mohebbi, M., Kremer, P., Abrahams, C., Abimanyi-Ochom, J., Carter, R., Williams, J., Smith, R., Osborn, A. and Hall, J., 2022. Evaluation of communities that care—Effects on municipal youth crime rates in Victoria, Australia: 2010–2019. Prevention science, pp.1-12.
• Paul, F.A., Dangroo, A.A., Saikia, P., Ganie, A.U.R., Zaid, M., Das, M. and Gogoi, R., 2024. Societal and Individual Impacts of Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Exploration. In The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems (pp. 1-24). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
• Peacock, A., Uporova, J., Karlsson, A., Price, O., Gibbs, D., Swanton, R., Chan, R., Bruno, R., Dietze, P., Lenton, S.R. and Salom, C., 2021. Australian drug trends 2020: key findings from the National Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) interviews.