ROLE MODELS IN SPORT
Recently in Australia various sporting personalities have admitted to using illicit drugs.
This drug use has developed into addiction that has forced some personalities to travel overseas for rehabilitation.
Sporting personalities found with illicit drugs such as ecstasy have provided a bad role model for the wider community.
Whilst much debate has focused on sporting administration policies many other considerations have been overlooked.
Australia does not have a comprehensive system of illicit drug rehabilitation to assist drug users to stop using these drugs.
Well remunerated sporting personalities are funding drug pushers who supply the illicit drugs mainly through criminal networks.
By funding criminal activity, sporting personalities cause considerable harm to other Australians by maintaining drug distribution networks.
As well, funding criminal networks by illicit drug use undermines police and border protection agencies causing costs to the wider community.
Illicit drugs are illegal because the medical and psychological harms of them are well proven particularly to the users of the drugs no matter how young and fit the user is at the time of use.
These medical and psychological harms of illicit drug use can be permanent and long term without comprehensive rehabilitation to get users off the drugs.
To leave a sporting personality with a continuing illicit drug use puts them at risk and provides a bad role model for our children.
That is why illicit drug policy must not be left to sporting administrators but focused on diversion into detoxification and rehabilitation.
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.
32/2007