Drug Free Australia’s Executive Officer, Jo Baxter has commended Julia Gillard’s statements about alcohol education.

“Julia has made some important observations on how we should approach alcohol in Australia in her comments today when she said: ‘In my lifetime, there has been a revolution in the way that people think about smoking, in my lifetime there has been a revolution in the way that people think about things like [being] sun smart”.

However, Drug Free Australia contends that there  needs to be an integrated approach that will support an education campaign – one that is ongoing and synchronized, says Ms Baxter.

For example: In my lifetime, I’ve also seen the drinking age reduced to 18 ( from 21 in 1974), hotels being allowed to stay open later – some all night – and a vast increase in the number of take-away liquor outlets – many attached to supermarkets.

“Raising the drinking age back up to 21 was a successful strategy in the United States.  The research from the US (from its National Traffic Safety Administration) has revealed that by raising the drinking age back up to 21, 16,409 lives have been saved from road death in a sixteen year period. The estimates from the study show that the raised minimum age drinking laws in all states have reduced traffic fatalities in 18 to 20 year olds by 13%.

Delaying the onset of alcohol use also falls in line with the latest research on the development of the adolescent brain. The thirteen year long US National Institute of Mental Health study confirms research that shows a delay of drinking (and its likely gateway into other drugs) till 21 reduces the harm from these substances. This 13 year longitudinal study using MRI has produced no other counter research.

Somewhere in the mix, we also need to address legislation around alcohol, but not forget the illicit drugs. We need laws  that  are consistent, rational and evidence-based - laws that send a message of deterrence and caution.  At the same time, there needs to be a public awareness campaign that is ongoing. The health and safety of our communities is paramount.

‘It was unfortunate that, late last year, the National Illicit Drugs Campaign advertisements (about drugs such as cannabis and ICE) were only aired for a couple of weeks’, said Ms Baxter.  ‘We have had feedback from those who saw the ads thought they were high impact, but that by running them for only a short time was a huge waste of taxpayers dollars’.

DFA recommends - Ongoing, well designed education campaigns that reach schools and the wider community, together with a comprehensive review of all the state legislation for alcohol and the illicit drugs. It’s  long overdue. We need to reduce both supply and demand.

We congratulate the Rudd Government on its early recognition of matters related to alcohol harms and hope that they will take the next step, with an integrated approach of both education and legislation to deal with all harmful drugs.