Lecture 6 Flashcards
What is drug related harm
Drug-related harm:
directly or indirectly affects the health, safety, security, social functioning and productivity of all Australians.
Drug-related harms cause or contribute to: illness and disease accident and injury violence and crime family and social disruption economic costs and workplace concerns.
Illicit drug-related harms include:
prosecution and conviction
involvement in production and distribution of illicit drugs.
Harms: Misconceptions
The ‘addictive nature’ / dependence of a substance causes them to be harmful
The ‘addictive nature’ / dependence of a substance causes them to be harmful
Level of addictiveness does vary
Nicotine and heroin most likely lead to dependence (Anthony, Warner & Kessler, 1994)
Chemical nature and addictive qualities do not, on their own, determine harm caused
Use leads to dependence and serious problems in a minority of cases (McAllister, Moore & Makkai, 1991)
Harms: Misconceptions
2. Harm most associated with illicit drugs
Estimates of economic costs associated with licit and illicit drug use
Tobacco 56.2%
Alcohol: 27.3%
Illicit drugs: 14.6%
Harm: Misconceptions
3.Harms primarily affect the individual user
For every heavy/frequent drinker, at least four others are negatively affected (Rumbold & Hamilton, 1998)
Contribute to and reinforce social disadvantage
Major impact on families through neglect, violence, separation, financial and legal problems (Dietze, Laslett & Rumbold, 2004)
Children are more likely: to develop behavioural & emotional problems, poorer school performance, victim of child maltreatment.
Work performance via absenteeism, loss of productivity, work accidents (ABS, 1998)
Up to 70% of crime related to substance use (House of Representatives, 2003)
Potential areas of harm
Acquisition Administration Context Relationships with others / societal Intoxication, regular use, dependence
Harm minimisation in Australia
1984: Bob Hawke – daughters heroin addiction
1985: Drugs in Australia: National Action Workshop
Workshop report: ‘While there are still the traditional polarised views on the use of drugs, there is now increasingly a common ground within the Australian community on appropriate action on the abuse of drugs’
(Brown et al 1986, 182)
1998: Howard government landmark decision to embark on its “Tough on Drugs“ policy and to override a Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy decision to support a trial of the use of prescribed heroin
The National Drug StrategyA framework for action on alcohol, tobacco,and other drugs
Mission: To build safe and healthy communities by minimising alcohol, tobacco and other drug-related health, social and economic harms among individuals, families and communities.
Overall national commitment to the harm minimisation approach. In the implementation of harm minimisation, jurisdictions will have programs, initiatives and priorities reflecting local circumstances and areas of responsibility.
PRIORITIES FOR THE NATIONAL DRUG STRATEGY
The Priorities for the National Drug Strategy (1) are:
Community engagement and involvement in identifying and responding to issues.
Improve national coordination for identifying and addressing drug use and its harms, sharing jurisdictional information on innovative approaches, and developing effective responses.
Develop and share data and research that support evidence informed approaches.
Harm minimisation
Harm minimisation:
policy and programs which prioritises the aim of decreasing the negative effects of drug use (Newcombe, 1992)
Range of options aiming to improve health, social and economic outcomes for individuals and communities.
Harm reduction:
strategies, interventions & policies by which the principles of harm minimisation are implemented
Premise:
drug use brings a particular balance of harms & benefits to individuals & the community
knowledge of the risks of behaviour does not automatically lead to changes in behaviour
Accepts:
drug use has always existed & will continue to exist
completely eradicating drug use is impossible
continued focus on eradicating drug problems may result in more harm for society
Objectives
Identification of harmful consequences for individuals, those around them & the community
Implement strategies to reduce this harm
Focuses primarily on reducing harm, not use.
Demand Reduction
. to prevent the uptake and/or delay the onset of use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; reduce the misuse of alcohol and the use of tobacco and other drugs in the community; and support people to recover from dependence and reintegrate with the community
- prevent uptake and delay onset of drug use
- reduce use of drugs in the community
- support people to recover from dependence and reconnect with the community
- support efforts to promote social inclusion and resilient individuals, families and communities.
National Drug Strategy priority (2):
Develop new and innovative responses to prevent uptake, delay the first use and reduce harmful levels of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, including:
Building community knowledge of alcohol, tobacco and other drug-related harms to encourage cessation and reduce harmful use
Increasing access to treatment services, including new approaches responding to emerging issues
Facilitating treatment service planning and responsibility for implementation between levels of government
Exploring effective price mechanisms shown to reduce uptake and use
Reducing exposure to licit drugs, particularly for young people and adolescents, through regulation of promotion and marketing.
Supply reduction
to prevent, stop, disrupt or otherwise reduce the production and supply of illegal drug, & control, manage and/or regulate the availability of legal drugs
Aims: to reduce the supply of particular drugs within society, or restrict access of particular drugs to certain people
“If a drug is not available then the community will not be troubled by its use”
reduce the supply of illegal drugs (both current and emerging)
control and manage the supply of alcohol, tobacco and other legal drugs.
National Drug Strategy priority (3):
Develop responses that restrict or regulate the availability of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, including:
Identifying and responding to challenges arising from new supply modes through the internet, postal services and other emerging technologies
Working with those at the point of supply for licit drugs, chemicals and equipment to minimise their misuse and opportunities for diversion to unlawful use
Identifying and responding to new methods for illicit drug production and supply
Supporting nationally consistent legislative and regulatory responses, particularly for international border control and challenges inhibiting inter-jurisdictional collaboration
Enhancing use and sharing of intelligence to identify and respond to emerging trends and issues.
Harm reduction
to reduce the adverse health, social and economic consequences of the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
- reduce harms to community safety and amenity
- reduce harms to families
- reduce harms to individuals
Some more examples of harm minimisation in AOD work practice
Encourage abstinence and consumption reduction (moderation)
Provide accurate and factual information about AOD – impacts, risks, consequences
Information about safety issues – drug, method, context
IVDU – not sharing, safe disposal, non-injecting routes of administration
Risk behaviours – safer sex, not driving
Resuscitation in case of overdose in their presence
Regular health checks
General lifestyle factors – sleep, diet, balance of activities
Crisis service contacts (e.g. 24 hours)
Engagement and therapeutic relationship
