A Case Study of Policy Transfer: Examining the National Rollout of Project STOP

Abstract

This thesis conducts a multi-level policy transfer analysis of a governmental response to the problem of pseudoephedrine diversion. Pseudoephedrine is an active ingredient in over-the counter cold and flu medication available from pharmacists and also acts as a precursor chemical in the illicit production of Amphetamine-Type-Stimulants (ATS). ATS are synthetically produced psychotropic drugs that are subject to international and national controls on their production, supply and use. Throughout the late 1990s and mid 2000s there was a large increase in the rates of use and production of ATS in Australia. Between the years of 2001-2005, clandestine production of ATS was particularly pronounced in Queensland where the laboratory detections outnumbered all other states in Australia combined. Over 90% of clandestine laboratories detected in Australia relied upon the diversion of pseudoephedrine from legitimate pharmaceutical products. In 2006, in response to the increased diversion of pseudoephedrine from pharmacies into the illicit drug manufacturing market and as a means for pharmacists to fulfil their record-keeping regulatory obligations, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia developed Project STOP. Project STOP is a tool that assists pharmacists in making an informed decision regarding the supply of products that contain pseudoephedrine. It is supported by a legislative framework that requires a driver’s licence number to be entered into an electronic database for the purchasing history of the customer to be reviewed before a decision regarding supply is made. Following its initial implementation in Queensland, Project STOP was subsequently transferred to all other jurisdictions in Australia as part of a national rollout. This thesis conducts an analysis of the transfer of Project STOP as a governmental response to the problem of pseudoephedrine diversion. It presents three levels of analysis to provide a comprehensive understanding of the conditions of possibility for the development of Project STOP; an assessment of how it came to be identified as the national solution to the problem of pseudoephedrine; and, how Project STOP works in the applied domain following its transfer. It concludes by outlining the broader implications of this study for policy transfer.