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Archive for the ‘Addictions’ Category

On Drugs, Medicine and Some Harms

July 7, 2009

Part of the problem with Met’s Bill (and Nandor’s earlier) is that it occurred at all.
(comment as posted to the Daktory Forum)

While med pot is an important issue, the diamonds in the sky is D’classification of cannabis. It would matter diddly what med pot provisions were made (as per Sativex) there would still be injustice. The argument for med pot (even as a wedge issue towards full Class D implementation, the rules are all ready there ) fails to do justice to the issue. AND THAT IS WHY WE HAVE TO RAISE THE ROOF before the Law Commission (LC).

The LC is doing some very creative stuff around ‘privacy’ and the internet… using the internet to both air the issue contructively and gain insight into public concerns, suggestions and fulfill the responsibility of ‘consultation being seen to be done’.

This is the stuff of social capital. The ‘drug debate’ will be the better for it. One can (will be able to) even send a comment in via ones cellphone. Suddenly the debate (has the POTential to) become relevant to young people.

So donut worry to much about the vote in Parl. There was NO drug debate in the run up to the election, but the day after John Key was elected PrimeMonster we legally regulated psychoactive recreational drugs (it got Royal assent two days before the election, became law on the Sunday). Much more has been accomplished than either media or MP’s are prepared to

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concede. We are the first country in the world to take a ground up approach to analyzing drug policy – including adherence to and relevance of the International Covenants and Conventions.

It really doesn’t get better than this. Although the anticipated in april/may ‘issues paper’ is yet to be released (so that the framework for the debate is clear – and thats a head start) it has been delayed somewhat due to [political] prioritisation of the Alcohol issue. The drug we drink, Alcohol (legal) and Drugs (illegal) will according to the Law Commission(er) ‘inform each other’. Again, no country has (IMHO) realy taken this holistic evaluation of ‘all drug policy’.

Consider fmr PrimeMunster Palmer on Drugs we Drink, “The exclusion of these substances from the terms of reference does not preclude the Commission from taking into account the relative harms of these and other substances.” and “Lessons learnt from the regulation of alcohol and tobacco will be taken on board in the course of this review.” (media release 2008[url]

We are turning full circle back to where our National Drug Policy (framework) pre 1996 HIGHLY reco

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mmended an ‘all drugs’ framework rather than a drug by drug approach.
This serves reform VERY WELL.

Like Alcohol and the recent academically critiqued BERL report on Alcohol harms – the area of cost/benefit need to be explored thoroughly. Daktavists MUST ask for this, ‘where’s the the baseline?’ – and the more we do this, the greater weighting will be given to getting the likes of Prof Jeffery Miron (or the like) out here from Harvard to give this international credibility.

Be Empowered, Submit Unconditionaly.

/Blair Anderson,
http://mildgreens.blogspot.com

Random Selection or Clinicians Falacy?

February 10, 2009

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Study sheds light on youth drug abuse [NZPA]

(a) A study into youths attending alcohol and drug treatment services &
(b) of those attending & drop out rate from treatment as high as 50 percent due mainly to disciplinary issues.
(c) youths were referred by schools, health services, family or the justice system, with only a “very small minority” referring themselves

(d) The study was drawn from the clinical records of 184 randomly selected people

Random sample or Clinicians Falacy?

—
Blair Anderson ‹(•¿•)›

Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Study sheds light on youth drug abuse
A study into youths attending alcohol and drug treatment services has found more than half have mental health problems and 40 percent have been in state care during their lives.
The study by Otago University‘s Christchurch National Addiction Centre found that males made up 62 percent of those attending.
It found 56 percent of those referred had criminal convictions, 40 percent had been in Child Youth and Family care at some stage, and nearly 54 percent had substance use and mental health problems.
European New Zealanders made up 51 percent, Maori 37 percent and Pacific Islanders 8 percent.
The study was drawn from the clinical records of 184 randomly selected people between the ages of 13 and 19 years.
The majority of the youths were referred by schools, health services, family or the justice system, with only a “very small minority” referring themselves.
The study found a possible shortage of beds for females in residential drug and alcohol treatment – possibly accounting for their lower numbers.
It also found a drop out rate from treatment as high as 50 percent due mainly to disciplinary issues.
The study’s authors said one way to combat that would be to involve youths more in developing their own treatment plans.
Lead investigator Dr Ria Schroder said the study showed there were complex issues to deal with in treating youths with drug and alcohol problems including mental health issues, family conflict and disengagement from school.
“These results show the kinds of young people who use these services and the complex issues that they, and the treatment services, must deal with,” Dr Schroder said.
“One of the issues that these findings highlight, and which probably needs further attention, is the extent to which staff have the skills to respond to the very complex needs and difficult problems of these young people.”
The study – the first of its kind in New Zealand – has been published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. – NZPA

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