---
title: Report backs ice treatment over policing | SMART Recovery Australia
description: THE national ice taskforce will reportedly recommend drug treatment and education over drug policing to deal with the problem. FORMER Victoria Police
---

[SMART Recovery Blog | Addiction Support & Recovery Insights ](https://smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/blog)

# [Report backs ice treatment over policing | SMART Recovery Australia](https://smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/blog/report-backs-ice-treatment-over-policing)

 Written by [smart recovery](https://smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/blog/author/smart-recovery) | Oct 16, 2015

**THE national ice taskforce will reportedly recommend drug treatment and education over drug policing to deal with the problem.**

FORMER Victoria Police commissioner Ken Lay and taskforce chair will advise the federal government this week to focus on the ice scourge as a health problem rather than a law and order issue, the Courier-Mail reports.

His assessment differs from that of former prime minister Tony Abbott, who saw the problem as a criminal matter and allocated $1 million for a national hotline encouraging people to “dob in a dealer”.The newspaper also says Mr Abbott rejected the advice of an earlier Parliamentary Library report on ice, which said drug treatment was more cost-effective than drug policing.”These studies have consistently shown better outcomes and treatment is more cost-effective than incarceration,” the report said.

 

REPORT: HOW AUSTRALIA SHOULD DEAL WITH THE SCOURGE OF ICE:  
 – Communities find their own solutions, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach  
 – A national education campaign to explain the devastating effects of the drug  
 – Better links between local services and government agencies for addicts who need help  
 – Extra counselling and intervention resources  
 – More help for frontline workers facing violence from addicts

[Read full story](http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/ice-taskforce-former-pm-tony-abbott-thought-cops-could-arrest-their-way-out-of-the-problem/story-fnihsrf2-1227564560488)

 

**Also read**

[Finally – a change in course on drug policy](https://smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/finally-a-change-in-course-on-drug-policy/)

[Waleed Aly methodically slams government’s ‘flawed’ ice policy | Video](https://smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/waleeds-aly-methodically-slams-governments-flawed-ice-policy-video/)

[‘Bad drug policy has brought about the rise of ice’: Alex Wodak](https://smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/bad-drug-policy-has-brought-about-the-rise-of-ice-alex-wodak/)

[Ice Taskforce recommends SMART Recovery Australia](https://smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/video-national-ice-taskforce-penington-institute-ceo-john-ryan-endorses-smart-recovery-australia-abc-radio-national/)

[View full post](https://smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au/blog/report-backs-ice-treatment-over-policing)

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