Summary - Department of Health and Ageing

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Finally, there is a need to investigate the effectiveness of proven universal, selective and indicated strategies in special populations, Indigenous communities in particular.
A wide range of laws and regulations control or restrict the availability of licit drugs, particularly alcohol and tobacco. These include licensing restrictions, advertising controls, the regulation of sale and supply of alcohol and tobacco to minors, and taxation initiatives that affect the cost of legal drugs. There are also regulations which govern the availability of pharmaceuticals, including restrictions on the provision of over-the-counter drugs and on prescription drugs that can also be used recreationally. Other control strategies include initiatives to limit the free availability of inhalants, particularly to minors. Regulations to limit the availability of cigarettes in the general community and, specifically, to young people, are generally successful. Many countries restrict or ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship and there is good evidence that this can reduce tobacco consumption in the general community, provided the restrictions are sufficiently broad. It has been suggested that Indigenous communities be given power to regulate the sale of tobacco (as occurs for alcohol in some communities). This has not yet been attempted but is consistent with the principles of prevention programs in Indigenous communities. Increases in the price of tobacco are an effective means of encouraging populationlevel reductions in smoking levels. Young people’s tobacco consumption is particularly sensitive to variations in price and weekly income. Health warnings have been required on cigarette packages since 1969. There was limited evidence of small reductions in consumption in Australian smokers after health warnings on cigarette packets were strengthened in 1995. Approaches to restricting the supply of alcohol to young people include: restricting advertising and marketing: the evidence for this is inconsistent, although encouraging the consumption of lower alcohol beverages seems to be effective; and laws on minimum drinking age: while the minimum drinking age in Australia is unlikely to be raised, strict enforcement (not always practised) is effective in minimising harm. Most of the harm that stems from intoxication is associated with the many people who do not generally drink excessively but occasionally drink to intoxication. Two-thirds of the alcohol sold in Australia is conservatively estimated to be drunk in this way. Measures that reduce overall consumption across the population are also likely to reduce risky drinking and the amount of alcohol-related harm in the community.
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Page 5 and 6: © Commonwealth of Australia 2004 I
Page 8 and 9: Drugs, both licit and illicit, caus
Page 10 and 11: The prevention paradox captures the
Page 12 and 13: The effectiveness of each intervent
Page 14 and 15: Drug use—both licit and illicit
Page 16 and 17: Use of performance and image enhanc
Page 18 and 19: Drug use problems and mental illnes
Page 20 and 21: Rates of drug use in these populati
Page 22 and 23: Indigenous Australians provide the
Page 24 and 25: Parents continue to be an important
Page 26 and 27: Effective intervention to prevent d
Page 28 and 29: There is increasing evidence that i
Page 30 and 31: Drug education attempts to reduce d
Page 32 and 33: Some communities have developed coo
Page 34 and 35: A number of evaluations show promis
Page 36 and 37: Prevention strategies across a numb
Page 38 and 39: Community prevention initiatives ha
Page 40 and 41: Reduction of the demand for drugs a
Page 42 and 43: There is also growing interest in c
Page 46 and 47: Alcohol taxation: changes in the pr
Page 48 and 49: severe injuries including gangrene.
Page 50 and 51: Law enforcement plays an important
Page 52 and 53: Controlling drug supply from within
Page 54 and 55: There is a significant link between
Page 56 and 57: Drug detection and deterrence progr
Page 58 and 59: A number of strategies are designed
Page 60 and 61: venues but it is not clear whether
Page 62 and 63: This final chapter presents recomme
Page 64 and 65: Table 2 sets out proposed objective

Summary - Department of Health and Ageing

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