Summary - Department of Health and Ageing
Summary - Department of Health and Ageing
Summary - Department of Health and Ageing
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severe injuries including gangrene. In Australia, temazepam has recently been placed<br />
on Schedule 8 (controlled drugs) <strong>and</strong> UK experience suggests this will be successful in<br />
preventing harm. Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) has also been placed on Schedule 8<br />
because <strong>of</strong> its association with drug-assisted sexual assault, <strong>and</strong> its availability on the<br />
black market <strong>and</strong> use by injectors has since declined.<br />
<br />
The control <strong>of</strong> substances used as inhalants, including glue, ‘chrome’, paint <strong>and</strong> toluene,<br />
varies from State to State. All Australian States have adopted st<strong>and</strong>ards for the scheduling <strong>of</strong><br />
drugs <strong>and</strong> poisons but the compounds <strong>and</strong> products used by young people tend to be<br />
exempt from scheduling or subject to the lowest levels <strong>of</strong> restrictions. There have been<br />
calls for tighter controls for some substances; however, evidence from other countries<br />
suggests that this can lead to use <strong>of</strong> other, more dangerous, substances. Working with<br />
businesses appears to hold promise but there is no evidence on how best to do this.<br />
Indigenous communities have used supply reduction strategies to reduce petrol sniffing<br />
<strong>and</strong> its related harm. In some communities, aviation fuel—which does not have petrol’s<br />
psychoactive effects—has been substituted for petrol. This has been most effective when<br />
introduced in conjunction with other interventions. Locking up petrol or making petrol<br />
sniffing illegal have not been as effective.<br />
<br />
PEDs include anabolic <strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong>rogenic substances (steroids) <strong>and</strong> hormone preparations.<br />
Most are available only on prescription <strong>and</strong> some cannot be imported without a<br />
Commonwealth Government permit, but many are legally available overseas <strong>and</strong> are <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
ordered over the Internet. PED seizures by Customs have been increasing since 1994/5 but<br />
use does not appear to have declined.<br />
<br />
Tobacco <strong>and</strong> alcohol are not ordinary commodities. The prevalence <strong>of</strong> preventable death,<br />
injury <strong>and</strong> illness associated with their use means that effective regulation <strong>of</strong> legal drugs is<br />
essential <strong>and</strong> widely supported. Limiting cigarette advertising <strong>and</strong> promotion, <strong>and</strong> using<br />
taxation to maintain the high price <strong>of</strong> cigarettes, have been vital <strong>and</strong> effective parts <strong>of</strong><br />
Australia’s tobacco control policies, particularly as they affect young people. Restrictions<br />
on the price <strong>and</strong> availability <strong>of</strong> alcohol could be equally effective if implemented in<br />
Australia, particularly in relation to taxes on cheaper products that tend to be used by<br />
high-risk drinkers. There is also a strong case for regulating alcohol’s availability more<br />
effectively through liquor restrictions, both in Indigenous <strong>and</strong> non-Indigenous<br />
communities. There is strong community support, as well as research evidence, for stricter<br />
enforcement <strong>of</strong> existing laws relating to service <strong>of</strong> intoxicated or underage drinkers, in<br />
combination with local self-regulatory approaches. Moves to limit the diversion <strong>of</strong><br />
prescribed pharmaceuticals onto the black market have achieved some success but<br />
restrictions on the availability <strong>of</strong> performance <strong>and</strong> image enhancing drugs have been less<br />
successful. Control <strong>of</strong> the supply <strong>of</strong> volatile substances to young people is very difficult<br />
<strong>and</strong> cannot be said to have been successful.