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Decriminalisation
New South Wales Police Commissioner Peter Ryan has called for the reform of drug laws. In direct contrast to NSW Premier Bob Carr's repeated stand on drugs, Mr Ryan says an experiment is needed to see if the decriminalisation of drugs would reduce crime and improve public health (and one supposes to see if it also helps him in his quest to address corruption in the police force). Mr Ryan's remarks were welcomed by the Australian Medical Association. "We'd be really pleased if the NSW police could persuade the NSW government to introduce those trials" said the AMA's vice president, Dr David Brand. Premier Carr and both major parties in NSW rejected Ryan's suggestions, saying the state was faced with more pressing issues and the Salvation Army had invited Mr Ryan to visit its rehabilitation centres to see the results of addiction for himself.
ACT Chief Minister Kate Carnell sees that there is a growing coalition of police chiefs, doctors and politicians who saw the pressing need for change. "I ask all senior politicians in this country...to take a deep breath and ask themselves is our approach working". The Canberra Times article said that Ms Carnel "still retained hope" that the MCDS would provide an opportunity for states like NSW to reconsider the proposed heroin trial in the ACT which is some advance on her previously reported comment after the last MCDS meeting that it was "dead in the water".
(DAILY TELEGRAPH February 22 p1; CANBERRA TIMES February 23 p1; SUN HERALD February 23 p9; CANBERRA TIMES February 24 p1)The Director of Public Prosecutions in New South Wales, Nicholas Cowdrey, lent support to Ryan's call for the trial legalising of heroin. Mr Cowdrey said that a strong case existed for abandoning prohibition as a means of law enforcement. "I think that when a regime is shown not to be working, we should examine it very carefully and work out whether or not there is a better regime that should be in place".
(Daily Telegraph March 8 p3)
CANNABIS
One of the first studies of long-term cannabis use in Australia has found the health of such users is on par with the general population (Sydney Morning Herald February 18 p4). The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre study of 268 long-term users (average of 19 years of use since the age of 17) and 31 non-using partners and family found "nothing startling". There was no evidence of high psychological disturbance and little evidence of health problems except for respiratory problems. The rate of respiratory problems among the marijuana users was higher than the general population, although 86% were current or former tobacco smokers. Chronically wheezy or whistly chests were reported by 52% compared with 24% of the general population. The report does say however, that while 32% believed their cannabis use was a problem, another 57% met defined dependence criteria, that is they had cravings for, or felt a need for, the drug. The most common reason for using was relaxation and relief of stress (61%). Of the negative effects, 21% said they felt paranoia, anxiety or depression.
DESIGNER DRUGS
Herbal ecstasy - blamed for 15 deaths overseas - will go on sale in Sydney stores within a few days (Daily Telegraph February 17 p5). Tablets would be sold in music stores, surf shops, sex shops and chemists. Some outlets are keen to stock herbal ecstasy, marketed as a legal and "natural" alternative to the chemical drug ecstasy. But the State Government warned that it would seize any product found to contain illegal substances. Drug researchers said it was mistaken to assume that "herbal" products were safer because they were "natural". "To call it herbal ecstasy is a misnomer; they're all chemicals" said Dr John Fitzgerald, a pharmacologist and drugs researcher at the University of Melbourne (Sydney Morning Herald January 29 p3).
SMOKING
Smokers create more than 11% of the nation's rubbish according to the report THE RUBBISH REPORT issued by Clean Up Australia (Advertiser February 15 p15). Discarded cigarette lighters, cigarette packaging and cigarette butts account for 11.74% of the nation's rubbish.
INJECTING DRUG USERS
New research shatters stereotypes of injecting drug users and reveals they are more likely to be married with children and on incomes of $30,000-plus than unemployed and on the streets. The study, released by the National Centre for Research into the Prevention of Drug Abuse, studied questionnaires returned anonymously by 511 injecting drug users who bought "fit packs" from 193 pharmacies across Western Australia. Forty-four % were married or had a partner, 41% had at least one child, 17% owned their home and 30% earned more than $30,000. Most were not considered addicts; 61% injected less than once a day and 24% once a week or less. Amphetamines use was the most common, followed by heroin. The survey also found that nearly 40% of users surveyed shared needles, and a quarter had tested positive for hepatitis C.
Curtin University's head of addiction studies, Associate Professor Bill Saunders, said the State Government's drug abuse strategy was woefully inadequate because it was based on stereotypes quashed by the research. Lewis Marshall, medical director of the Health Department's communicable diseases control program, admitted that education programs might not be hitting the mark - "We need to go back and reassess some of our particular programs and how we access people who are not in the more easily defined groups".
(WEST AUSTRALIAN March 12 1997 p3; The AGE March 12 1997 pA3; AUSTRALIAN March 12 1997 p3)
ALCOHOL
Pregnant women can drink alcohol in moderation without harming the foetus according to a report from Britain's Royal College of Obstetricians. In its first guidelines on drinking in pregnancy, the college said there was no evidence of alcohol harming the foetus up to a level of 15 standard drinks a week and recommends pregnant women limit themselves to one standard drink a day. Consumption above 20 standard drinks has been linked with intellectual impairment in children.
(DAILY TELEGRAPH March 4 p17)
CANNABIS
A report by Dr James Bell from Sydney and Prince of Wales hospitals drug and alcohol unit to be released at a conference run by the Australian Institute of Criminology in Canberra today claims cannabis use has been linked to increased property crime. The report found a quarter of those interviewed were smoking cannabis heavily and that level was linked with involvement in property crime. The report also found crime rates fell among heroin-addicted repeat offenders when they were on methadone programs. Dr Bell suggested the study seemed to indicate the high black-market cost of the drug was forcing people into crime to pay for it. Dr Bell said although he believed smoking the drug was harmful, its decriminalisation could help tackle crime problems.
(SUNDAY TELEGRAPH March 2 p11)The therapeutic use of cannabis by terminally ill patients is being considered by the South Australian Government. The Transport Minister, Ms Laidlaw on behalf of the Health Minister Dr Armitage, has confirmed that the issue is being investigated by the SA Drug and Alcohol Services Council. The Council, in association with the University of Adelaide's Department of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and the Commonwealth Public Health Division, will present a report to the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy in June. The medical director of DASC, Dr Robert Ali said it would look at the methodologies of studies which offered evidence that smoking cannabis was therapeutic; at ethical questions on the use of the drug; and at guidelines on how the drug could be provided.
(ADVERTISER March 15 p15)People who previously would have faced court for using or possessing small quantities of cannabis will face only a caution under a radical proposal being considered by police. Under the proposal, to be put to police command in coming weeks, information about treatment centres and the dangers of drug use would be printed on the back of the caution notice. Police have a discretionary power to use cautions, which have been used with first-time juvenile drug offenders for many years. It is possible the system could be extended to adults found using or in possession of small amounts of other illicit drugs such as heroin or amphetamines.
The State Government and police last year rejected Professor David Penington's calls for the use and possession of small amounts of marijuana to be decriminalised.
(The AGE March 24 1997 pA1)
HEROIN
Dr Lisa Maher from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre in a letter to the editor draws attention to the fact that not all the heroin users who traffic in Cabramatta come from outside the area. There is a substantial heroin problem in the local community and Lisa tells us that a recent survey at a local high school found that in the last year 11% of 13-year-old boys reported heroin use. In her words "this is a frightening statistic". Stopping the distribution of clean needles as has been suggested would not necessarily discourage heroin users from coming to Cabramatta from elsewhere at would put both drug users and the broader community at risk of infectious diseases.
(SYDNEY MORNING HERALD March 21 1997 p20)
Thousands of people could be infected by a disease with no vaccine, no cure and limited treatment options, warned Chris Puplick, Chairman of the Australian National Council on AIDS and Related Disease (Canberra Times February 23 p4). Mr Puplick said hepatitis C was the most underpublicised public-health problem in the country, with an estimated 200,000 Australian's infected with the virus every year.
Australian prisons are a breeding ground for hepatitis C, with half of all inmates tested having the disease (Sydney Morning Herald March 18 p4). Dr Nick Crofts, from the Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research in Melbourne, said the incidence of hepatitis C in prisons was extremely high because prisoners used dirty needles for injecting and tattooing. "If we are going to stop hepatitis C in Australia, prisons are a critical part" according to Dr Crofts. Prisons become social incubators for the virus and the high turnover also contributed to the increase in hepatitis C in the general community. Kate Nolan from NDARC said the best way to combat hepatitis C in prisons was to expand the NSW prison system's methadone program to the rest of the country and to encourage testing. Dr Alex Wodak from St Vincent Hospital's Alcohol and Drug Service suggested a Grim Reaper-style campaign encouraging drug users to snort, eat or smoke rather than inject (Canberra Times March 17 p4). He suggests that hepatitis C is the "infectious viral epidemic of the 90's" - a public health threat that demanded a national approach. Victorian figures show that people who inject drugs for eight to 10 years have virtually a 100% chance of getting the disease.
IV DRUG USE
New research shatters stereotypes of injecting drug users and reveals they are more likely to be married with children and on incomes of $30,000-plus than unemployed and on the streets (The AGE March 12 pA3; Australian March 12 p3; West Australian March 12 p3). The study, released by the National Centre for Research into the Prevention of Drug Abuse, studied questionnaires returned anonymously by 511 injecting drug users who bought "fit packs" from 193 pharmacies across Western Australia. Forty-four % were married or had a partner, 41% had at least one child, 17% owned their home and 30% earned more than $30,000. Most were not considered addicts; 61% injected less than once a day and 24% once a week or less. Amphetamines use was the most common, followed by heroin. The survey also found that nearly 40% of users surveyed shared needles, and a quarter had tested positive for hepatitis C.
Curtin University's head of addiction studies, Associate Professor Bill Saunders, said the State Government's drug abuse strategy was woefully inadequate because it was based on stereotypes quashed by the research. Lewis Marshall, medical director of the Health Department's communicable diseases control program, admitted that education programs might not be hitting the mark - "We need to go back and reassess some of our particular programs and how we access people who are not in the more easily defined groups".
YOUTH
Most school students believe drug and alcohol abuse is the number one problem facing youth today (Herald Sun March 17 p14). The Herald Sun surveyed more than 400 year 10 and VCE students from state and private schools in city and regional areas. Asked to list the main problems facing youth, 80% nominated drug abuse and alcohol abuse, followed by unemployment (40%) and school related issues (22%). Other problems included: peer group pressure (20%), violence (17%), stress (16%), and family related issues (16%). Despite its prominence in the media, only 19% of students thought suicide was a big issue.
REFORM
A high-level South Australian advisory committee has recommended drug law reforms, including cutting the number of cannabis plants and the amount of amphetamines and heroin offenders can possess before being charged with dealing. Under the Controlled Substances Advisory Council proposal, anyone with one or more grams of heroin or amphetamines will be charged with possession for sale and face up to 25 years in prison or a $200,000 fine.
Under current laws, offenders can have up to two grams of heroin and amphetamine and face only charges of possession for personal use - which carries a maximum penalty of $2,000 and two year's imprisonment. The one-gram amount of heroin was deemed appropriate for personal use after it was determined it equalled enough of the narcotic for five "hits", the usual amount purchased by a user in each buy.
The Council has also recommended an overhaul of the on-the-spot fine system for cannabis growers: a $150 fine for fewer than four plants, rather than 10 plants under the current law. The change will mean growers with between four and 20 plants will now face two years' imprisonment or a $2,000 fine. Police intelligence and arrests over the past 10 years revealed that cannabis laws have been exploited by crime syndicates.
The article makes no mention of any strategy for the implementation and enforcement of these new sanctions - which on the face of it are not targeting personal users. It is understood the proposal is now before Cabinet and a decision is "imminent".
(ADVERTISER April 9 p1)The Victorian State Government will today announce details of a campaign against drug traffickers as part of an overhaul of sentencing laws. The Attorney-General, Mrs Jan Wade, will reveal legislation, to be introduced in Parliament tomorrow, that will increase sentences for drug trafficking and manufacturing, and will strengthen penalties for people selling drugs to children. The campaign will widen the definition of what is regarded as a commercial drug quantity. The legislation is also expected to restrict the bail entitlements of drug traffickers after the Government received evidence that offenders continued to traffic drugs while on bail to finance the legal expenses of their court appearances. It is believed the legislation will also include provisions for the sizure of assets bought with the proceeds of drug trafficking.
Notwithstanding the fact that there will be a reduction in the quantity of drugs needed to be possessed before an offender can be charged with trafficking, the AGE report says "In line with the Government's previous announcements, penalties for drug users will not be increased".
(The AGE April 23 1997 pA4; HERALD SUN April 23 1997 p1)James Wood on reform:
"They [drugs] have an enormous impact on corrupting police, particularly police who are otherwise decent, law-abiding and efficient detectives.
"They bring about death and destruction of young lives, they lead to enormous loss of property and the loss of amenity of life of those who are forced to live in areas where drug abuse and dealing is rampant.
"A significant consequence is the conversion of money to overseas and into a black economy, in sums which would seem to exceed the net turnover of several, if not many, of Australia's largest companies.
"A further consequence is the potential takeover of newly arrived communities in this country where trust in government and police has probably not been the accepted way of life.
"As far as this royal commission is concerned, it can only deal with one aspect of this enormous problem. Police corruption aside, that is only one facet of the problem and to attack it alone would be a Band-Aid solution which would be utterly inappropriate.
"It is far bigger than the policing side of it. I think we are going to have to look in an organised, national and cooperative way to some innovation and far-reaching methods of dealing with the problem, including education, rehabilitation and other facets of the equation in order to combat it."
(SYDNEY MORNING HERALD May 1 1997 p6;)
CANNABIS
No substantial link between marijuana and death
OAKLAND, Calif. -- A study by Kaiser Permanente researchers shows no substantial link between smoking marijuana and death. The study looked at 10 years of death information for more than 65,000 men and women who had health checkups at Kaiser's Oakland and San Francisco facilities between 1979 and 1985. Based on answers to a confidential survey, patients were divided into groups ranging from those who had never tried marijuana to regular users. Death rates for all patients were followed until 1991. Use of tobacco and alcohol was accounted for to clearly identify deaths from marijuana smoking.
Researchers say they did find a link between smoking marijuana and AIDS deaths in men. But they say that probably is due to the fact that homosexual and bisexual men had a higher rate of marijuana use in the 1980s. The study, called "Marijuana Use and Mortality", was published in the April 1997 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. It was principally supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
"About one-third of the American population over the age of 12 is estimated to have used marijuana, making it the most popular illegal drug in this country, but we still know little about its long-term health effects, lead scientist Stephen Sidney said in a statement released by Kaiser Wednesday.
(San Jose Mercury News May 15, 1997)
HEROIN
The option of legal heroin shooting galleries recommended by the NSW Police Royal Commission looks less likely with the NSW Opposition declaring that the royal commissioner James Wood had only "told half the story". A report last year by the Kings Cross Patrol Customer Council said State-sanctioned centres for injecting may "create a mecca for drug users and attract them accordingly" and that such centres ritualised drug use, and that they were politically divisive and required discretionary policing. Opposition spokesman on police, Mr Tink made it clear that he saw "no place for shooting galleries, legal or otherwise".
(SYDNEY MORNING HERALD May 19 1997 p3)
DANCE PARTIES
The New South Wales Government has released a strict set of codes to "rein in" the rave and dance party scene. In recognition that it cannot stamp out illegal drug use at the parties, the Government has moved to make it safer for people who are taking drugs. The blueprint for "safe entertainment for young people", announced by the Minister Assisting the Premier on Youth Affairs Mr Aquilina, stipulates that:
- first-aid stations must be set up at all parties;
- venues must supply tap water (thus patrons are not compelled to buy bottles at up to $8);
- there is a "dance-floor-to-patron" ration to stop overcrowding and overheating;
- registration of crowd controllers or bouncers;
- eradication of drug-selling points at the parties; and
- preventing people from buying drugs on the street, by not letting them back into parties once they have left.
REFORM
Drug traffickers could face life in jail and people who supply any drugs to children could be locked up for 10 years under proposed new national drug laws. The crackdown was suggested in a discussion paper from the Model Criminal Code Officers Committee. As well as life in jail for dealing in large quantities of drugs, the committee suggested trafficking in any quantity should attract a 10-year prison sentence, while trafficking in a commercial quantity should be punishable with 20 years' imprisonment. However, one problem is the definition of what constitutes a commercial quantity. South Australia Attorney-General Trevor Griffin said while his Government and others around Australia had not yet considered the recommendations and did not necessarily support them, moves towards standardising drug laws were welcome.
(WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN May 31 p5; CANBERRA TIMES May 31 p4; WEST AUSTRALIAN June 2 p1)Home | Habits | More Habits | Links | The List | E- Mail Us