-fix the assignment – relevant discussion and information.

set out the direction of your essay in a brief introduction, then follow that ‘map’ and discuss each point in detail in your essay. Think of it as trying to convince a friend why we should change the current Australian strategies? To do that you need to let them know what the current strategies are and why the current ones don’t work e.g. look at whether drug use has increased, has the amount of illegal drugs seized by the police increased etc. Then you need to provide them with some alternative strategies that Australia could try.  And here you need to provide some of the evidence around what those against the strategies say e.g. it will increase crime etc, and then provide the evidence from Portugal and other places to refute those arguments. End your essay with a short summary and conclusion.

Some more appropriate references to add to the ones you already have:
Loxley, W., Toumbourou, J. W., Stockwell, T., Haines, B., Scott, K., Godfrey, C… Williams, J. (2004). The prevention of substance use, risk and harm in Australia: A review of the evidence. (3475/JN8607). Canberra, ACT: The National Drug Research Institute and the Centre for Adolescent Health.

Mostyn, B., Gibbon, H., & Cowdery, N. (2012). The criminalization of drugs and the search for alternative approaches. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 24(2), 261-272.

Wodak, A. (2012). The need and direction for drug law reform in Australia: Illicit drug use should be viewed primarily as a health and social problem, and be funded accordingly. The Medical Journal of Australia, 176(6), 312(2).