Online Tutoring on Governance of Alcohol and Other Drugs
Key National Policy and Legislation
Australia has a variety of drug programs and policies that have been ratified over the years. However, development of policies and regulations ought to be perceived as a continuous process, which is impacted by various aspects including changing community attitudes and values as well as changes in government. Additionally, change of personnel at policymaking levels also influences the purpose and direction of drug programs and policies. The National Drug Strategy, established in 1985 was the pioneer of numerous policies that focused on harm minimisation (Howard, Gordon, & Jones, 2014). This key national policy and its offshoots have significantly affected Australians’ alcohol and drug access particularly with regards to how they are distributed and consumed in the country.
The adoption of the national alcohol and drug policies in the country directly inspired a number of key initiatives. These included the establishment of the national drug strategic plan, national public health partnership, national drug strategy, national drug strategic framework, and national campaign against drug abuse (James, 2016). These Australian policies that aid in the fight against drugs and alcohol involve all sectors in the country ranging from the government to non-profit organisations and private institutions. The sectors collaborate to offer the full spectrum of drug and alcohol drug services in Australia including advocacy, prevention programs, research, treatment and enforcement of legislation.
The National Drug Strategy is Australia’s supreme drug policy framework. The Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy is responsible for developing new programs to strengthen the policy while its implementation is done by the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs. However, regional jurisdictions also have individualised action plans and strategies to tackle alcohol and other drugs. The National Drug Strategy is important to the country’s fight against drugs and its focus is the reduction of harm caused by alcohol and drugs (Ritter et al., 2014). The National Drug Strategy Household Survey is a critical component of Australia’s drug policy and is utilised in monitoring patterns and the efficacy of the National Drug Strategy (Berends et al., 2011). The surveys documents attitudes, behaviour and knowledge regarding the use of drugs among Australians of ages 14 and above. To meet this target it outlines eight areas that require prioritising including access to treatment, professional training and education, supply reduction, partnerships, community awareness, research, and harm prevention.
Besides, the national policy, there are numerous legislation within Australian territories developed as jurisdictional and national levels to tackle drugs use. Local governments including New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania have individualised legislation focusing in alcohol and other drugs that mirrors national and regional perspectives in lowering drug use in the country. These territories have local police and various drug enforcement agencies whose responsibility is enforcing laws that curb the distribution and consumption of drugs (James, 2016). A notable example of Australian drug legislation is the Alcohol and Other Drugs Act 1974 whose goal is to offer treatment, rehabilitation, and care to people encountering alcohol and other drug use problems (Lancaster, Duke, & Ritter, 2015). With its national policies, legislation and programs, Australia aims to improve the social, health, and economic outcomes of its citizens as well as communities.
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Consumers and carers play important roles in mitigating the harmful effects of alcohol and other drugs in Australia. All local, state and national policies are created with the users and persons affected by drugs in mind to ensure all Australians find a healthy balance in their lives. According to the legislation, consumers denote people with direct experience of alcohol and drugs, and who have used, are using, or providing drugs to other citizens (Lancaster, Duke, & Ritter, 2015). On the other hand, carers are individuals offering assistance, support, or care to a person using drugs or have been affected by alcohol and drug use. The Alcohol and Other Drugs Act 1974 and National Drug Strategy and among other programs recognise and support the active involvement of both carers and consumers in the evaluation, recovery, and treatment of users of drugs.
Alcohol is the most consumed social drug in Australia. Given that its excessive consumption harms people and the community, policy and legislation strive to lower the number of users. To reduce the effects of drugs on the Australian community, all territories and state programs work to deter drink driving, underage drinking, drinking in public places, and liquor licensing (James, 2016). In addition to alcohol, other hard drugs including heroin, cocaine and cannabis are banned and their use attracts penalties such as fines, incarceration or loss of driving license. According to a study carried out by Battams & Roche (2011), a large number of teenagers aged below 18 years have used some form of drug in their lives. This is mainly due to lack of proper regulations or implementation failures. By creating policies that educate and curb access to drugs, the government is sending a message to Australians that drugs are unsafe for everyone (Lancaster, Duke, & Ritter, 2015). As such, by regulating and illegalising some drugs, the government ensures that drugs and alcohol are not accessible to anyone particularly young people. This lowers consumers while indirectly reducing incidents of delinquent behaviours such as crime and school dropouts.
Regional charters of the National Drug Strategy encourage both government and non-governmental organisations to respect the critical role carers play in the society. In particular, different territories have adopted personalised policies to formally promote and recognise the role of carers and value of care relationships in the Australian society. It has been widely publicised that alcohol and drug use is linked with a number of mental and physical problems (Berends et al., 2011). Since the government is unable to reach all at-risk Australians, carers have been given the power to generate public awareness, treat addicts and initiate recovery programs for relapsing individuals.
With adequate care and education, carers can inform the public that are not beneficial to the community, which explains government implementation of programs involving carers. Preventing Australia from being overwhelmed with drug addicts is a societal initiate that has gained support among carers owing to particularly those working with youths (Battams & Roche, 2011). Carers and consumers are important in the Australian government’s endeavour to reduce the effects of drugs in the country. With adequate care and low consumption levels in tandem with comprehensive policies and legislation, the government can meet its goal of countering rising cases of drug use particularly among Australian youths.
References
Howard, S. J., Gordon, R., & Jones, S. C. (2014). Australian alcohol policy 2001–2013 and implications for public health. BMC Public Health, 14(1), 848.
James, J. (2016). Dealing with drug-seeking behaviour. Australian prescriber, 39(3), 96.
Ritter, A., Berends, L., Chalmers, J., Hull, P., Lancaster, K., & Gomez, M. (2014). New Horizons: The review of alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia. Drug Policy Modelling Program, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.
Battams, S., & Roche, A. (2011). Child wellbeing and protection concerns and the response of the alcohol and other drugs sector in Australia. Advances in Mental Health, 10(1), 62-71.
Berends, L., MacLean, S., Hunter, B., Mugavin, J., & Carswell, S. (2011). Implementing alcohol and other drug interventions effectively: How does location matter?. Australian journal of rural health, 19(4), 211-217.
Lancaster, K., Duke, K., & Ritter, A. (2015). Producing the ‘problem of drugs’: A cross national-comparison of ‘recovery’ discourse in two Australian and British reports. International Journal of Drug Policy, 26(7), 617-625.
