DECRIMINALISATION PROPOSAL WILL SHARPLY INCREASE DRUG USE
(. . . and increase all the mental health issues they cause)
As the Queensland Government contemplates, via its Mental Health Commission, proposals to decriminalise the use of heroin, ice, speed, cocaine and ecstasy, Drug Free Australia is warning that decriminalisation, and the sharply increased drug use it always encourages, flies in the face of the almost unanimous Australian disapproval of these drugs and their use.
The 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey of 25,000 Australians shows that 99% do not approve the use of heroin, ice or speed, 97% do not approve the use of cocaine, 96% the use of ecstasy and 80% the use of cannabis. This high disapproval of drug use by Australians comes from experience - 43% of Australians having used illicit drugs in their past.
Drug Free Australia’s submission to the Queensland Mental Health Commission challenges a Commission consultation paper promoting the Portugal model which had decriminalised the use of heroin, ice and other illicits while adding more treatment availability in maintenance programs and rehabilitation. The problem with Portugal is that it has not worked, indicating that treatment without the sanction of criminal penalties only encourages more drug use – after decriminalising all drugs in 2001, Portugal’s drug use had increased 59%, drug-related deaths increased by 59% and use by high-school minors increased by 60%. These very large increases contrast with the very large decreases under the Australian Federal Government’s Tough on Drugs policy between 1998 and 2007, where use of those drugs which Portugal tracks fell by 42% here, with drug-related deaths decreasing 67%. Sweden, by prioritising drug rehab while still maintaining criminal penalties, reduced its drug use by 86% between 1973 and 1987.
Australian disapproval of drug use most certainly indicates that we do not want policies that will increase the use of the drugs we disapprove. Undoubtedly Australians want less drug use, not more. The proposals before the Mental Health Commission have a track record – more drugs, not less. Because of the well-established impacts of drug use on mental health where cannabis, amongst other drug types is actually causal (50% of new psychosis/schizophrenia diagnoses in Amsterdam each year are from cannabis use), the Queensland Government must reject any measures that increase drug use and its associated mental health issues. Drug Policy Reform must help Queensland do better, not worse.
Gary Christian
RESEARCH DIRECTOR
Drug Free Australia
0422 163 141
Cannabis - latest research - what the experts say
Please enjoy these on-demand recordings of our previous Johnny’s Ambassadors Expert Webinar Series for Parents.
We are pleased to provide this education to you to help prevent youth substance abuse, mental illness, and suicide.
https://johnnysambassadors.org/recorded-webinars/
A recent review of studies addressing associations between cannabis use and onset and course of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and PTSD found that cannabis should not be used for the treatment of bipolar disorder, depression and PTSD.
The study, Cannabis and Cannabinoids in Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Impact on Illness Onset and Course, and Assessment of Therapeutic Potential, published in the American Journal of Addictions https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajad.1296 concluded,
Our results suggest that people with bipolar disorder, depression, and PTSD, should be cautioned about continued cannabis use despite the subjective therapeutic relief that is often reported. Furthermore, there may also be implications for public policy about medical marijuana. PTSD, for instance, is already an approved indication for medical marijuana in Canada and several US jurisdictions, which has the potential to minimize public perception of risk.
Drug Free Australia urges that State and Federal Governments explore ways to inform the public of these conclusions, given the number of Australians already using medical cannabis for, particularly, depression and PTSD. The TGA is also urged to inform cannabis clinics advertising the efficacy of medical cannabis for these conditions.
Gary Christian
RESEARCH DIRECTOR
Drug Free Australia
0422 163 141
REPRISING THE REASONS FOR NO PILL TESTING
As Australia moves towards the warmer months of the year with a higher concentration of music festivals, and as Pill Testing Australia will most certainly renew its efforts to get government sponsorship for pill testing, it seems only prudent to review the evidence from last summer which makes pill testing not only ill-advised, but foolish.
- Pill testing worldwide uniformly assumes that ecstasy causes few pill deaths, and that other drugs mixed into ecstasy pills cause most deaths. The opposite is true here and worldwide. In Australia, according to the science, 95% of deaths are from ecstasy pills where no other drug was found in the pill. Any pill testing which fails to red-flag every ecstasy pill is ignorant of the science.
- The Australian National UnREPRISING THE REASONS FOR NO PILL TESTINGiversity evaluation of the 2019 Canberra pill testing trial found that "those who received a test result confirming the substance to be what they thought it was were likely to take as much or more than originally intended" (p33). Pill testing thereby increases the likelihood of ecstasy use, the very substance responsible for almost all Australian pill deaths.
- The same evaluation cited no users who were counselled out of taking ecstasy by the pill testing operation. Remember users were more likely to take ecstasy once verified, not less likely.
- The UK, with pill testing introduced in 2013, and expanded in 2016 to 12 festivals, saw more than a doubling of pill deaths between 2013 and 2018.
The evidence-base militates against any notion of pill testing and Drug Free Australia urges Parliamentarians to make decisions according to the evidence and the evidence alone.
Gary Christian
RESEARCH DIRECTOR
Drug Free Australia
0422 163 141
Our Vision: To support and educate young people, their families and communities to prevent the damage caused by drugs
ALBERTA REVIEW OF SEVEN INJECTING ROOMS NEGATIVE
A recent review of seven recently implemented injecting rooms in Alberta Canada shows similar negative effects to the North Richmond MSIR, which of course will be replicated in the City of Melbourne if the Victorian Government’s plans are enacted.
Relevant quotes from the report:
“The question for the committee was, does the existence of a SCS site in a particular location have an additional effect on crime near the SCS site? Although the committee heard opinions that the existence of a SCS reduces crime or, at worst, has no impact on drug-related criminal activity in the immediate area, the preponderance of evidence provided by area residents and officials demonstrates that criminal activity near SCS has increased. Residents at every location informed the Committee that the SCS sites act as a “magnet,” attracting persons who are addicted to substances, whether they consume the substances at the site or not. It was reported that increased concentrations of drug users also attract drug dealers who, in turn, attract more drug users. SCS, therefore, are assumed to geographically concentrate the street-level drug market and other criminal activities. The Committee finds this to be credible.” p 4
“Another major public safety issue identified was harassment in public areas. This was a concern raised by residents in SCS neighbourhoods, as well as business owners and their customers. Many residents, including minors, reported being approached for money (panhandling), solicited for prostitution, or being subject to verbal or physical assaults and intimidation. Numerous residents complained about drug users urinating or defecating on their property, or in front of their businesses, as well as uttering profanities or making rude gestures to community members and patrons of local businesses. Many reported that this resulted in a fear of using public spaces or supporting the business in the area. Parks, public libraries, stores and restaurants were reported as either not being used, or were being used far less than previously by community members, especially children and the elderly.” p 4
“The Committee’s investigations indicate that while there have been no deaths reported on-site, deaths due to opioid overdoses are unabated, both within the immediate vicinity of the SCS sites and elsewhere.” p 34
Drug Free Australia seeks to inform Councillors that all of the above were problems identified in the recent review of the North Richmond MSIR, although media reports on the MSIR review made no mention of the real issues.
Gary Christian
RESEARCH DIRECTOR
Drug Free Australia
0422 163 141
