The $1 million annual cost of the dob-in-a-dealer furphy would almost cover the $1.3 million annual expense of a 10-bed rehabilitation unit, so a few more addicts don't have to wait a few more months, often in custody, for a proper shot at saving their lives. At least the policeman put in charge of the taskforce, Victoria's former chief commissioner Ken Lay, knows this is one problem that police cannot beat. "For social problems like these, law enforcement isn't the answer. Unless you get into the primary prevention end, unless you stop the problem occurring you simply won't arrest your way out of this," Lay said in April. "Ice has been on the scene for over a decade and we've had a really strong law enforcement approach and it hasn't resolved the problem. The time's right now to look at the other options." Yet when asked about treatment this month, the Prime Minister reverted to lock-em-up attitudes that play well in the media: "It's very important that people who are before the courts on ice offences, on drug offences more generally, are dealt with appropriately and yes, rehabilitation is important, but punishment is important too."

Policing and punishment first, treatment and reducing demand maybe later. Presumably, tough on drugs sounds good, even if it's counter-productive in the long run. A crime-obsessed strategy means only more harm will be done. A study by the Australian Institute of Criminology last year estimated the cost of drug abuse was $3.1 billion in 2011, a figure which doesn't include the costs of crime either fuelled by drugs or done in desperation to get them. It doesn't count the costs borne by the justice system, by victims of crime, by the families of addicts, and their friends and colleagues – if they are fortunate to still have them. Any way you count it, the harm done is enormous, especially to the potential of the addicts. Alcohol remains the most widely destructive drug and despite the attention on ice, Australians' use of amphetamines is low and stable. The National Drug Strategy Household Survey says 2.1 per cent of respondents over 13 had used the drug in the past 12 months, the equal lowest figure in the past 20 years. The ice concern comes from those who already use drugs. Ice is the potent crystal form of methylamphetamine, and its proportionate use doubled between 2010 and 2013 as the rate of powder use fell.

In dealing with the consequences of the shift, the focus should be on treatment. So much is so obvious to the experts, if not the politicians, as seen in most submissions to the federal parliamentary inquiry into ice. Take St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst. It has seen the highest increase and has the highest number of ice presentations of any hospital in NSW. Its sister hospital in Melbourne reported 98 assaults on its staff last year, a significant proportion attributed to ice rage. Yet its response is not law-and-order, but to call for more money for "vital" prevention and treatment. The view is shared by rehab service the Ted Noffs Foundation: "Relative to law enforcement resourcing, funding for drug treatment services is woefully inadequate." The Australian Medical Association made an observation that should not be surprising to anyone: reducing drug addiction reduces demand for drugs, reduces crime, reduces harm to addicts and their families and reduces the burden on our health system – not to mention the courts, prisons and police. Even police submissions, which contain the predictable requests for more powers, acknowledge the need for better treatment. The Police Federation said: "simply fining or even jailing 'users' will not necessarily have the desired effect".

Of all the sensible suggestions, that of a former federal police commissioner, Mick Palmer, offers the clearest strategy: re-invest drug funding in treatment and diversion, focus law enforcement on the makers, growers and serious traffickers, change the battle into one of health, and treat users as victims rather than criminals to encourage honest dealing with addiction. If the point of the war on drugs is to reduce destruction, Palmer's strategy is a far more likely way to victory. Tim Dick is a Sydney lawyer