Drug Free Australia’s Chair, Craig Thompson has welcomed the Federal Sports Minister, George Brandis’ initiative to legislate for drug testing during off-season and weekends in order to eliminate the use of illicit substances in Australian sport.

‘Any way the current drug policies can be tightened up, can only be a good thing’, says Mr Thompson. ‘We have always said that, unless a clear message comes from the top, at political policy-making level, people will continue to tolerate the use of illicit drugs, thinking they are safe to use. In fact, these drugs are illegal because they are extremely dangerous to health and mental condition’.

Drug Fee Australia’s Executive Officer, Jo Baxter says that “A truly compassionate policy is one which looks after the wellbeing of its players. It is one that does everything possible to prevent the uptake of illicit drugs in the first place. It is NOT one which effectively allows them to take illegal narcotics and psycho-stimulants – which after 2 or 3 times of random testing could mean that players are well into addiction.

Drug Free Australia Patron and Tennis Champion, Margaret Court is very strong on this issue and has experienced the pressures of elite sports. She says that drugs play no role in sport. “It’s like cheating – not only cheating yourself, but your team mates”.

“If amphetamines and other similar stimulants are the reason that you win, it’s not really your skill, but a temporary boost by drugs. Just imagine how you would feel if you lost a race, or your tennis title, to someone who had cheated by using drugs”.

Drug Free Australia has dedicated years of research into why people are using illicit drugs so prolifically in Australia and emphasizes that no ONE measure will solve our current problems.

‘We have a drug use rate that is one of the highest in the OECD’, says Jo Baxter. ‘We are now in damage control because of years of ‘soft’ policy and ‘mixed messages’ to our community’. The Federal Government has a Tough on Drugs policy, which is beginning to work. Initiatives like that of Minister Brandis are to be commended. But a lot more has to be done.

Drug Free Australia’s recommendations include:

• Funding for school education that is coordinated by specialists, such as Life Education Australia. (Resources under the school drug strategy are sitting on many school book-shelves because teachers are too overloaded to add just another specialist area to their workloads).
• Community Education and Leadership initiatives which are fully resourced to empower local communities to identify local issues and then act on the solutions
• Rehabilitation programs that aim for abstinence-based drug free outcomes