FAMILY COUNCIL OF VICTORIA
City of Melbourne Drugs Action Plan Submission
This submission from the Family Council of Victoria proposes that the primary objective of the Action Plan must be the substantial reduction of illicit drug users in the municipality. This will lead to an improved amenity to the residents and a substantially improved quality of life for drug users who are rehabilitated.
· elimination of new drug users in the municipality and
· assistance to drug users of detoxification from mind-altering drugs followed by comprehensive rehabilitation to a drug free status.
The primary approach of prevention is to restrict the number of new drug users in the municipality.
The approach we recommend is to remove all incentives to non-drug users to try or regularly take illicit drugs.
All drugs, which are illegal, are dangerous to humans and for that reason must be rejected.
As well, policies, which normalize the use of illegal drugs, should be rejected also.
We recommend that the City of Melbourne prepare information in written visual, audio and electronic form on the harmful effects of illegal drug use.
This information should be distributed to all residents, community organizations and schools in the municipality and be based on accurate medical facts on the toxicological effects of all illegal drugs.
Particular attention should be placed on this information being available to young people and parents.
We would recommend that the information be placed on the City’s web site for easy access by electronic means.
The City of Melbourne should lobby the State Government to provide an accurate compulsory attendance education program to those residents who have been discovered to be in possession of illegal drugs particularly marijuana.
The City of Melbourne should join a “Cities Against Drugs” campaign similar to municipalities in Sydney and overseas.
This would give the City of Melbourne a leadership role as Victoria’s premier municipality.
Both visible and hidden drug uses must be the target of the municipality as Melbourne’s ratepayers and residents expect the drug problem to be tackled in order to solve the drug problem and not simply move the problem to another location or another municipality.
We believe that Melbourne’s leadership policies should have an objective of expecting a reducing number of addicts, drug pushers and crime.
Accordingly, the municipality should reject the concept of injecting rooms and support court ordered and supervised detoxification and comprehensive rehabilitation.
Detoxification is available from a number of hospitals and organizations within the city but they must be followed by rehabilitation, which produces drug free residents of the city.
The State Government controls the illegality of drugs, and the City of Melbourne should support all existing drugs remaining illegal.
All facilities and services of the municipality should ensure that they comply with the law at all times.
As drug taking has the potential to cause death or disability, the municipality must ensure that any activities of its services or their agents do not incur any harm leading to claims for compensation from injured residents or others.
We believe that the city should not operate or facilitate syringe distribution or injecting facilities.
As explained above, the approach of the City of Melbourne should be to support the detoxification and rehabilitation of addict to a drug free state, if necessary by compulsion and supervised by the courts.
This will have the effect of reducing crime in the municipality, which will improve the amenity of the residents and the costs to the community and city.
The City of Melbourne has a duty of care to its residents including those who are addicts.
Compulsory court ordered and supervised detoxification and comprehensive rehabilitation leading to a drug free state, is a proven policy, which will substantially improve the health and welfare of the residents.
We believe that the City of Melbourne should take a leadership role in advocating this policy.
Enclosed is a recent policy announcement of one of our members, The Australian Family Association, which we strongly endorse and we ask the City of Melbourne to endorse this policy also.