DRUGWATCH
January 2002
Index
Index
New Era For Drugs In Queensland
Awards to Alcohol and Drug Agencies
Chroming and Other Inhalants
New Alcohol Research
Spray Trial
Seminars and Training
New Era For Drugs In Queensland
Alcohol and other drug problems are set to take on a new dimension in
2002 with the number of Queenslanders using illicit drugs set to exceed
1 million a year at current trend rates. To help meet the growing
demand, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation - Queensland is committed to
increasing the number of beds for treatment and rehabilitation, and
extending the prevention programs to reduce experimentation and
intoxication from both alcohol, prescription and illicit drugs. We are
expecting the number of clients seen by the Foundation to exceed 6,000
in 2002, an increase of over 2,000 in two years.
The good news is that we can expect to see a significant reduction in
heroin overdoses and deaths due to the so-called "heroin drought" in the
Queensland southeast corner. This is expected to see a major reversal in
the trend that has seen heroin deaths in the Brisbane area doubling
every year.
The results of the trials of bupremorphine, the police Cannabis
Diversion Program, Drug Courts, and methadone in prison are also
expected to provide more effective methods for treating and containing
drug problems in our state. The magnitude of the impact will be
dependent on how committed we are to resourcing effective programs.
The bottom line in reducing the problems of alcohol and other drugs will
be how effective we are in turning around a problem that has been
increasing at dramatic rates since 1995. The latest National Household
Survey taken in 1998 showed that in Queensland we had almost 600,000
recent illicit drug users, an increase of 80% over that three year
period. Of these 99,000 were teenagers. This trend has almost certainly
continued since 1998, especially amongst teenagers and young adults,
pushing the number of users in any one year to over 1 million. This
trend is supported by the latest findings of the Illicit Drug Reporting
System (Dec 2001) that reported a reduction in availability of heroin
but an increase in methamphetamine ("ice", "base"), and hydroponically
grown cannabis.
Therefore, while the heroin drought will thankfully reduce the number of
drug related deaths, it is also having the effect of moving many users
to amphetamines with their own set of problems. Not the least of these
is drug induced psychosis and the resultant aggressive behaviour that
impacts adversely on public health and safety. With over 80% of property
crime attributed to drugs, we are also seeing more reports of violent
behaviour against the elderly and in association with house break-ins
and street crime.
While methadone has been a successful stabilising influence on heroin
users, it is not an option for amphetamine users. As a consequence
rehabilitation and treatment facilities are experiencing increasing
pressure for services. Our Logan House Drug Rehabilitation Centre is now
accepting only one out every three applicants who are assessed as
suitable for admission and this is a common experience across most such
services.
While a heroin overdose or death of a young person will be seen as
tragic and invokes sympathy from many, the bizarre behaviour of drug
induced psychosis coupled with its aggressive nature does not attract
such sympathy and instills fear into the community. However for the
parents and families of those addicted to amphetamines the consequences
of poor nutrition, sleep deprivation and resultant health problems is
devastating.
Therefore while we can expect good news in reducing drug related deaths,
the problem is still expected to be one that will escalate over this
year placing more and more demands on services, especially treatment and
rehabilitation services provided by the charity sector, and a greater
need for an all-of-community approach that brings together the
corporate, community, and public sectors in a co-operative approach that
would include meaningful consultation and effective targeting of the
resources available.
Bob Aldred
Chief Executive Officer
07 3832 3798
0411 516153
Awards
Recent awards to those in the alcohol and drug field were made to Judy
Rasmussen and Mary Alcorn.
Judy received two volunteer awards for her work with Abaleen Detox
Services in Brisbane. Judy was presented with a medallion at Parliament
House as part of the International Year of the Volunteer awards for the
contribution of Abaleen to the community. Her second award was the
National Bank's National Community Link Volunteers Awards where Abaleen
was chosen from 2,703 nominations as a Highly Commended recipient for
Abaleen's contribution to the local community. It was the only health
agency to receive an award in Queensland.
Mary was one of the five winners of the 2002 ADCA Australia Day Awards.
Each year the ADCA Australia Day Awards acknowledge people working to
reduce alcohol and other drug related harm, whose achievements are
largely unrecognised. Mary is the Executive Director of the Gold Coast
Drug Council. She was recognised for working tirelessly and effectively
for greater funding, development and facilities for drug affected people
on the Gold Coast.
Chroming
For those interested in the current debate on supervising chroming and
other inhalants the web page with the terms of reference and a
discussion paper produced by the Victorian Parliament's Drugs and Crime
Prevention Committee that is conducting an inquiry into inhalant use
committee are available at www.parliament.vic.gov.au/dcpc .
New Alcohol Research
Australia's drinkers are consuming alcohol in a dangerous manner nearly
every time they imbibe, according to research published in the latest
Medical Journal of Australia. Curtin University's National Drug Research
Institute found almost all age groups risked acute or chronic illness by
drinking above safe guidelines two thirds of the time. Young men aged 18
to 24 were found to drink dangerously 93 per cent of the time. Alcohol
consumption in excess of the national safe drinking guidelines is
believed responsible for about 3300 deaths each year in Australia,
costing the community $4.5 billion. Young people made up half of all
deaths caused by alcohol related injuries. The Alcohol and Drug
Foundation - Queensland is planning a positive campaign to promote
responsible drinking by highlighting how to drink to enjoy the taste
rather than drinking to get drunk.
Spray Trial
In a world first trial, Victorian ambulance officers have begun
administering the heroin antidote drug Narcan by nasal spray instead of
by injection. The spray is believed to work faster than the
intra-muscular injection and may save lives and prevent brain damage
among overdose victims. It will also reduce the danger of needle stick
injuries to ambulance officers. The four-month trial, being held jointly
by Victoria's metropolitan and rural ambulance services, the Western
Hospital and the Turning Point Drug and Alcohol Centre, will compare the
reaction times of the two forms of Narcan. Injected Narcan takes between
five and eight minutes to reach the brain and block the effects of
heroin. The nasal spray is immediately absorbed through the mucous
membrane of the nose into the bloodstream and is believed to take effect
in about two minutes.
Seminars and Training
The February calendar for training by Alcohol and Drugs Training Unit,
4th Floor, 270 Roma Street, Brisbane, and various videoconference sites
in Queensland is as follows.
6 February: Reflections on a big year - Prof John Saunders
13 February: Marginal Drugs: Volkswagen and Rolls Royce - Dr Stefan
Goldfelder and Mr Graham. An overview of the recent APSAD Conference
20 February: Amphetamine psychosis and the insanity defence - Dr
Bill Kingswell, John Oxley Hospital
27 February: The Alcohol and Drug Service working with general
practitioners: Initiatives to advance shared care.- Dr Helen Kerr,
Alcohol and Drug Service
For further information and copies of the Seminar Calendar and Training
Calendar, phone Michael Medic 07 3238 4060.
14 February QADREC Seminar: Introduction to Motivational Interviewing -
James Toth. A free seminar at QADREC, Room 113, Level 1, Public Health
Building, Herston Road, Herston. Inquiries Yvonne Clark 07 3365 5189 or
y.clark@spmed.uq.edu.au
Forums on Community Capacity Building in the NGO Sector Project will be
held in Cairns and Brisbane.
5 February: Lockhart Room, Colonial Club Resort, 18-26 Cannon Street,
Cairns. 9.00 - 11.30am
6 February: Dow Jones Room, Executive Annex, 100 George Street, Brisbane
1.00 - 3.30pm.
The Forums will discuss findings and recommendations emanating from the
consultation process undertaken by Health Outcomes International.
Inquiries Roslyn Walker, Senior Policy Officer, Dept Premier and Cabinet
07 3224 2111
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Bob Aldred
Chief Executive Officer
Alcohol and Drug Foundation - Queensland
PO Box 332
Spring Hill Qld 4004
Bus. Ph. 07 3832 3798
Mobile: 0411 51 6153
Fax: 3832 2527
email: aldred@adfq.org
http://www.adfq.org/
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