Social Policy Research Centre
The 'ice epidemic': An analysis of the policy context, process and outcomes
Published on the 21 May 2026
Drug policy is influenced by the research evidence but also by politics, lobby groups, public opinion, and various windows of opportunity. This research aims to better understand how policy is developed and the opportunities for and threats to evidence-informed policy, through a case study of the 鈥渋ce epidemic鈥.
The aim of this project was to examine the emergence of methamphetamine as a policy issue in Australia, with a focus on understanding the policy聽process听补苍诲听context聽that gave rise to the development of policy responses to this issue. We apply Kingdon鈥檚 (2003) 鈥榤ultiple streams鈥 heuristic to this case study to analyse the problematisation of methamphetamine, the proposed policy responses and the political context, identifying the possible coupling of these streams and the notions of 鈥榩olicy entrepreneurs鈥 and 鈥榦pen policy windows鈥.
Research Centre
Research Area
Drug Policy Modelling Program
- Years
- Publications
- Funding agency
- Collaborators
2011 to 2012
Journal articles: Lancaster, K., Ritter, A. & Colebatch, H. (2014) Problems, policy and politics: making sense of Australia's 鈥榠ce epidemic鈥,聽Policy Studies. Presentations: Ritter, A. (2012, November). Keynote Presentation: Unravelling drug policy: many threads. APSAD Conference. Melbourne. Lancaster, K., Ritter, A. and Colebatch, H. (2012, October). Problems, policy and politics: making sense of Australia鈥檚 鈥榠ce epidemic鈥. National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre Seminar Series, Sydney. Lancaster, K., Ritter, A. and Colebatch, H. (2012, March). Problems, policy and politics: making sense of Australia鈥檚 鈥榠ce epidemic鈥. Drug Policy Modelling Program Symposium, Sydney.
Colonial Trust
