Drug Free Australia welcomes the first national illness Prevention Summit, being held in Melbourne today.

DFA’s Chair, Craig Thompson sees the Summit’s main aims as being highly commendable – however, he cautions that ‘when detailed decisions are proclaimed, it would be irresponsible to omit those related to sustainable prevention of illicit drug use. Considering that Australia’s illicit drug use is still the highest in the OCED, there is much work to be done, and we should not continue to ‘put our heads in the sand’.

Jo Baxter, Executive Officer says that the Minister for Health and her team are to be congratulated for the strong stance being taken on prevention across the board. We now need to ensure that these incorporate illicit substances.

“The health issues concerning the illicit drugs are often very different from the legal drugs. For instance, our methamphetamine use is high amongst young people – and the impact of mental health is more rapid (and often irreparable) than it is with, for example, alcohol. Cannabis and its higher potency THC, is now having a much faster and longer term health impact than tobacco. The fact that so many young cannabis smokers are developing drug induced psychosis before they are 25, is a matter of serious concern. In the longer term, if illicit substance use is not more comprehensively addressed at the earliest possible opportunity, the problem of health care (and its related costs) will be further exacerbated.”

Drug Free Australia now represents the views and concerns of large proportion of the Australian community. DFA is concerned that it was not included in the Summit. “One in 3 families whom we speak to, are very close to an illicit drug problem and are finding it increasingly difficult to know where to get help”, says Ms Baxter. From initial counseling right through to getting a ‘bed’ in a reputable recovery-based rehabilitation facility, too many people are on waiting lists. Many just give up.

Drug Free Australia wants the following matters addressed as part of the Summit’s outcomes:

• Greater monitoring of illicit drug statistics – by separating them from the legal drugs and determining sustainable prevention mechanisms, especially for initial uptake of use, as well as support for full recovery-based interventions and rehabilitation. Their impacts should also be separately costed.
• Specific, synchronised illicit drug education and awareness programs targeting school and university students, parents, teachers, and the medical practitioners
• Demand Reduction (as in the National Office of Drug Control Policy in the United States) should be the basis of the illicit drug component of the National Preventative Health Taskforce
• DFA, as peak body in illicit drug prevention, be represented on the Taskforce

DFA is well placed to be part of the solution and to contribute significantly. The alternative, if current systems continue to fail, is too horrendous to contemplate.