Methamphetamine and Criminal Justice

This Cracks in the Ice webinar was held on Tuesday 18th of August 2026. Criminalisation remains the dominant response to methamphetamine use, despite evidence that punitive approaches fail to reduce use and instead generate significant social harms. Methamphetamine is also one of the most used illicit drugs among people entering Australian prisons. However, the rate and drivers of imprisonment among Australians who use methamphetamine are poorly understood. The first part of this webinar examined how criminalisation shapes daily life through stigma, intensified police surveillance, and repeated involvement with the criminal legal system.The second part of the webinar examined the relationship between methamphetamine use, imprisonment, and employment outcomes.