As a 33-year police practitioner who was commissioner of the Australian Federal Police during the ''tough on drugs'' period, I fully understand the concerns of those who argue there is no reason to reconsider drug policy and I shared many of them until recent years. My police experience, in both the state/territory and federal jurisdictions, together with some 15 months practising at the private bar as a defence barrister and several years experience in the drug and alcohol fields, has convinced me that I was wrong.

The reality is that, contrary to frequent assertions, drug law enforcement has had little impact on the Australian drug market. This is true in most countries in the world.

The reality ... drug law enforcement has had little impact on the Australian drug market.

In Australia the police are better resourced than ever, better trained than ever, more effective than ever and yet their impact on the drug trade, on any objective assessment, has been minimal.

In the Herald last week, the opposition health spokesman, Peter Dutton, asserted that ''law enforcement does achieve significant results and is not yet at its peak of effectiveness''. I feel compelled to respond, because frankly the evidence does not stack up. In Australia last year, 86 per cent of drug users said that obtaining heroin was ''easy'' or ''very easy'', while 93 per cent reported that obtaining hydroponic cannabis was ''easy'' or ''very easy''.