Section 1 provides an introduction in which the political history and climate of Australia is recounted. Australia has a democratic Commonwealth constitutional monarchy that provides for a separation of powers between the legislature, executive, and judiciary authorities. Section 2 explores the history of illicit drugs in Australia, which are described as having a plethora of deleterious social, health, and economic outcomes for Australians. In an effort to address its drug problems, the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NCADA) was created in 1985 with a guaranteed 3 years of funding. NCADA policies were guided by both health and law enforcement interests and were determined by the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy (MCDS), which is the topic of section 3. MCDS is the preeminent policy and decisionmaking body regarding illicit drug use in Australia. While health issues guided policies in the early years, by the early 1990’s it was clear that more cooperation between the health and law enforcement sectors was necessary to effectively combat the Australian drug problem. Section 4 explores the current National Drug Strategic Framework, which spans the years 1998 through 2003. The key principle of the framework involves the minimization of drug-related harm by improving the health, social, and economic outcomes for individuals as well as the community in general. The three key strategies involve supply reduction, demand reduction, and harm reduction. Priority areas include public education about drug-related harm, building partnerships to conquer social problems, linking with other drug-related strategies, increasing access to treatment, and improving education and training for professionals in law enforcement and health services. Section 5 briefly explains how the National Drug Strategic Framework is complemented by the National Illicit Drugs Strategy titled, “Tough on Drugs,” launched in 1997. Section 6 discusses issues related to the governance of the drug strategies in Australia, while section 7 describes the role of the National Drug Strategic Unit, established in 1997 to coordinate the activities under the National Drug Strategic Framework. Sections 8 and 9 explore the importance of research in policy decisions and discuss the creation of the first two national research centers. Section 10 discusses the Australian approach of diverting drug offenders to compulsory assessment. Table, appendix