The contribution of research to Australian policy responses to heroin dependence 1990–2001: a personal retrospection*

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Abstract
Periodic public concern about heroin use has been a major driver of Australian drug policy in the four decades since heroin use was first reported. The number of heroin‐dependent people in Australia has increased from several hundreds in the late 1960s to around 100 000 by the end of the 1990s. In this paper I do the following: (1) describe collaborative research on heroin dependence that was undertaken between 1991 and 2001 by researchers at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre; (2) discuss the contribution that this research may have made to the formulation of policies towards the treatment of heroin dependence during a period when the policy debate crystallized around the issue of whether or not Australia should conduct a controlled trial of heroin prescription; and (3) reflect on the relationships between research and policy‐making in the addictions field, specifically on the roles of investigator‐initiated and commissioned research, the interface between researchers, funders and policy‐makers; and the need to be realistic about the likely impact of research on policy and practice.