New Era For Drugs In Queensland

[Bob Aldred]

DRUGWATCH 
January 2002 
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 instils 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 at 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
Tel: 61 7 3832 3798
Fax: 61 7 3832 2527
Mobile: 0411 516 153

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