DRUG LINK TO MENTAL ILLNESS IS CLEAR
Recent research shows that young people and their parents are fully aware of the negative impact of substance use on mental disorders.
The damage of drug use highlighted by the study was depression, psychosis and social phobia.
The study highlighted that early onset of regular cannabis use has been consistently associated with later psychotic disorders.
(Source: Medical Journal of Australia, 3 September 2007)
The Drug Advisory Council of Australia Comments
This is a challenging finding as it highlights the need to change drug use behavior to stop our young from using illicit drugs or prevent them using in the first place.
Other research highlights the main motivators for young people using drugs are curiosity, peer group pressure, an exciting experience and to take a risk.
Factors influencing a decision not to try an illicit drug include lack of interest, health concerns, addiction, feeling out of control, illegality, morality, not an enjoyable experience and pressure from family and friends.
Australia needs a major cultural change to remove the attraction of illicit drugs and therefore must adopt the Swedish objective of making illicit drug use socially unacceptable and marginal behavior.
As well Sweden uses its courts to divert all illicit drug users into detoxification and rehabilitation under supervision by the court.
Sweden also has political bipartisan support that illicit drug use is unacceptable which is NOT the case in Australia.
Lets ditch harm minimization for world’s best practice.
More detoxification & rehabilitation that gets illicit drug users drug free.
Court ordered and supervised detoxification & rehabilitation.
Less illicit drug users, drug pushers and drug related crimes.
34/2007