E-Substance November 2008

20 November 2008

Dear reader,

Welcome to November's e-Substance

The biggest news - we have launched the Drug Driving survey - officially launched today! Watch the interview from this morning's Breakfast on the subject, answer the survey at www.drugdrivingsurvey.org.nz and help us recruit people to complete the survey.

November's Matters of Substance will be mailed out to you at end of the month.  We have a taste of what's in the latest issue; In his Director's Cut, Ross Bell discusses drug policy in the post-election political climate here and in the US.

Also:

  • New Restricted Substances regulations have been quietly introduced
  • Our members elect Dr Greg Hamilton as a new trustee to the Drug Foundation Board
  • The Drug Foundation staff farewell one of our most experienced staff members, Keriata Stuart
  • Papers from the world's first methamphetamine conference are now available.

And as we near the Festive Season, our website review calculates alcohol consumption and tobacco costs.

Thank you for your continued interest in our work,

The Drug Foundation team.

 

The Great New Zealand Drug Driving Survey launched today

Are New Zealanders driving high to avoid being caught driving drunk?  Do people think some drugs affect driving worse than others?  Would roadside drug testing make a difference to attitudes or behaviour? The New Zealand Drug Foundation wants answers to these and other questions to get a sense of just how much we know about what drugs can do to us when we're behind the wheel.

Help us understand these issues - go to www.drugdrivingsurvey.org.nz and answer the survey. Forward to friends and family too! We want to beat the Australians with number of responses we get!

The Foundation's Drug Driving research project was officially launched this morning. We plan to collect responses from thousands of New Zealanders, aiming for 10,000 responses. We want to hear from anyone and everyone - drivers, non-drivers, people who use drugs and those who do not - whether they think drug driving is a problem in New Zealand or not.

This confidential survey asks about a variety of legal, illegal, and prescription drugs.  We are interested in which drugs people have and have not driven under the influence of, and which drugs are perceived to be more dangerous or safe when driving. For the first time, the information gathered will present a picture of the drug driving situation across New Zealand. Not only will this help us see which drugs people are using when driving, it will also reveal what New Zealanders think about it.  This information will help develop education and information messages.

So please get online and complete the survey at www.drugdrivingsurvey.org.nz and email the link to your New Zealand-based friends, family, clients and neighbours for them to complete.

 

November Directors Cut

(Ross Bell considers post-election issues his editorial in the latest issue of Matters of Substance).

Political change has come.  The US has their first African-American President, while Labour's 9-year tenure has ended in New Zealand.  Both elections will impact on drug policies. Barack Obama has spoken of removing the Federal funding ban on needle exchanges, and of expanding treatment, including offering treatment as an alternative to prison.  He has criticised the War on Drugs saying, "It's expensive, it's counterproductive, and it doesn't make sense."  On the world stage we may see the US promoting progressive, balanced and health-focused drug policy.

What might we expect from the new National-led Government? National have made the very welcome announcement to double the number of beds in prison Drug Treatment Units.  The successful implementation of this policy will require resourcing for the treatment workforce, and better management within Corrections to ensure that the new beds are fully utilised.

In a letter to the Drug Foundation, the National Party stated their intention to work for better access to mental health and addiction treatment services.  They would also improve primary care, provide early intervention, and promote Integrated Family Health Centres that bring together a wider range of health services and professionals into a one-stop shop. On alcohol, they support ALAC's Culture Change Programme and want to see retailers obey the law regarding retail sales. It remains to be seen how their coalition parties will influence drug policy.

While ACT campaigned on law and order, they are known for their criticism of the current drug law and for their support for prevention and education.

United Future has previously opposed tobacco and alcohol control policy, and quashed debate on cannabis policy.  It would be a shame if a similar barrier stymies the Misuse of Drugs Act review.

The Māori Party is concerned about the health inequalities created by alcohol and drug harm in Māori communities. They have pedigree on drug policy: Pita Sharples is known for his methamphetamine work at Hoani Waititi Marae; Tariana Turia is a previous associate health minister; and Hone Harawira pulls no punches in his attack on the hypocrisy between legal and illegal drugs.

There is important work to do.  Current financial priorities shouldn't stop drug policy progress: the Law Commission's alcohol and drug reviews deserve continued political attention, as does the Supply of Liquor and Liquor Enforcement Bill inherited from the previous government.

Interventions to tackle poverty and social exclusion must include efforts to reduce alcohol and drug harm.  The significant cost-benefit of addressing drug harm as a health issue makes economic sense (as well as being socially just and humane).

I look forward to working with the new Government on these challenging issues.

 

New restricted substances regs

The Misuse of Drugs (Restricted Substances) Regulations came into force with no fanfare on November 6. The regulations came much too late to see whether we could have had a successful regulatory model for BZP-based party pills (which are now Class C).  Hopefully, health officials will work harder to ensure these new regulations actually work.  Salvia Divinorum will be the first guinea pig for the new regulations, which include the following controls:

  • The Restricted Substance cannot be sold at a licensed premise, petrol stations, vehicles, tents and street carts, or places where children and minors are likely to gather
  • Advertising is confined only to places mentioned above and inside only, it must not be easily visible or audible from the outside
  • Labelling must clearly identify the goods as a restricted substance, and include contact details of the manufacturer or seller, as well as the phone number of the National Poisons Centre information centre
  • Labels must have the following words: "It is illegal to sell or supply a re­stricted substance to any person under the age of 18. Do not drive a vehicle or operate machinery after consuming a restricted substance. Do not consume with other drugs, alcohol, or medicines"
  • Packaging containers must be tamper proof and child proof
  • Signage must be displayed inside the premises with words "It is illegal to sell or supply a re­stricted substance to any person under the age of 18"
  • Restricted substances must be stored and displayed where the public cannot access them, such as behind the counter.

The new regulations can be accessed in full here [links to a PDF file].

 

Election of a new Trustee

At their 17 November Annual General Meeting, Drug Foundation members elected Dr Greg Hamilton as their representative on the Drug Foundation's Board of Trustees.

Greg has been engaged in tobacco, alcohol and other drug issues particularly in health promotion and policy contexts in Australia and New Zealand since the mid 1990s. He completed his Masters and PhD at Curtin University in Perth in the field of health promotion while working in the Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research.

On returning to New Zealand in 2004, Greg initially worked in a shared role between Christchurch School of Medicine and Canterbury DHB's Community and Public Health (CPH) before moving full-time to CPH for nearly four years.  Recently, Greg moved to Planning and Funding at Canterbury DHB.  He is responsible for developing and supporting health sector transformation within the Canterbury region.

Greg's skills are varied reflecting the different roles he has had in the health sector.  He has strong research skills in the prevention area, implementation from public health and policy/planning skills from Planning and Funding.  His expertise is particularly in adolescent smoking prevention and cessation having published 13 papers, two book chapters and over 20 major reports.

Greg currently also chairs the St Martins School Board in Christchurch.  He has played an active role on a number of committees and advisory groups, and is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University in Australia.

We welcome Greg and believe his experience and expertise in all these areas will provide an invaluable addition to the Board.

 

Farewell to Keriata

After four years' service with the Drug Foundation our Senior Policy Analyst Keriata Stuart is leaving to complete her post-graduate research.  Keriata's leaving creates a big gap in the Foundation's policy team - she was responsible for much of the thinking behind submissions and policy positions, and played a key role in outreach to grassroots community organisations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She is leaving a good legacy: one of her most important pieces of work was the policy position statement, Rehabilitating Our Criminal Justice System, which had its genesis in the "Reducing crime through alcohol and other drugs practice in prison settings" symposium organised by Keriata in 2005.

Keriata is not lost to the AOD sector.  Her current research on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder will certainly prove highly relevant to the work of many in the sector.

We wish Keriata all the best for her research.

  • Next month we expect to announce who will be filling the policy gap left by Keriata.

 

November Matters of Substance out soon

The latest issue of Matters of Substance is out next week. Our cover story "Not what the doctor ordered", by Wellington-based writer Rob Zorn, provides an in-depth insight into prescription drug abuse.

Also look out for:

  • Alison Ritter's critique of the New Zealand Drug Harm Index
  • Analysis of Australia's heroin drought
  • Advice for parents on drug testing their kids ("don't").

And Mythbusters finds out whether economic gloom makes people drink more.

  • Contact us if you would like to receive a copy, if you don't already get it.

 

First global methamphetamine conference

The first world conference on methamphetamine was held in September. The objective was to provide an arena for the world's scientists, leaders, and professionals working on issues related to methamphetamine to gather and discuss the issues of methamphetamine use, public health, law enforcement, and civil society.

Conference chair Luciano Colonna said the event was a response to an emerging consensus among experts that methamphetamine use is a complex problem that presented a significant challenge to existing philosophies and strategies. "While local and national communities are under siege by a perceived methamphetamine epidemic rush to pursue solutions, many facets of the problem remain to be discovered, examined, debated, illuminated and verified. It is important that our public resources be directed to deal with the problem on a number of fronts, including areas of research, prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and law enforcement".

 

Website(s) of the month

With the festive season approaching way too fast, it is a good idea to keep a handle on how much alcohol or tobacco is consumed. The teams at ALAC and the Quit Group provide ways of measuring these habits.

DrinkCheck
By answering 10 questions about your drinking habits, you get a DrinkCheck score that shows where you are with your drinking. Based on your score, there are a number of options to help you work out your strategies. Find out in what situations you should not drink or how many standard drinks a bottle of bubbles contains. Do your own DrinkCheck at www.alcohol.org.nz/IsYourDrinkingOK.aspx.

Quit now and save
If you are a smoker, chances are you often think about how much the habit is costing you. If you're brave enough to find out how much you spend on durries, check out the Quit Calculator, Even if you're only a packet-a-week, the results are pretty salient. The calculator works for packets, roll-your-own tobacco, cigars and even pipes. Go on, we dare ya! - www.quit.org.nz/page/quittingSmoking/quitCalculator.php.

 

Events

For details on these and other events, and to submit your event, visit www.drugfoundation.org.nz/events.

 

Vacancies

  • Coordinator for Alcohol and Drug Teaching, University of Auckland, Tamaki Campus
  • Community Registered Nurse, CADS Pregnancy and Parental Service, Auckland
  • Rural Alcohol and Drug Clinician, Nelson Malborough District Health Board, Nelson
  • Save-a-mate coordinator, Red Cross, Wellington

For these and other vacancies, and to submit your vacancy, visit www.drugfoundation.org.nz/jobs.