National Amphetamine-Type Stimulant Strategy Background Paper

67
Amphetamine Information Project (YAIP) that was established as a six month pilot
project. The aim of the project was to develop up-to-date and accurate information on
amphetamines and to implement a peer-based education training program targeting young
people at risk of amphetamine use. In conducting the project, it was noted that: young
people lacked knowledge about amphetamine and related harms; young people stated
that they preferred to receive drug education from people who they consider to have drug
use experience (namely, peer education); it was important to engage young people via
accessible communication tools such as text messages, interactive web-based tools and
email; and, it was important to be strategic in selecting venues for conducting workshops,
to maximise participation.
The Red Cross Save a Mate Project (SAM) incorporates peer education with other
prevention and harm reductions strategies. SAM is a drug education and first aid program,
which aims to reduce incidents of harm and death associated with the use of alcohol and
other drugs. The program is aimed specifically at at-risk youth, school children, nightclub
staff, inmates in correctional facilities and those in drug rehabilitation programs. Volunteers
aged 18 to 30 are selected and trained in harm minimisation and first aid strategies to
deliver the three components of the program: alcohol and other drug specific First Aid
training; pubs, clubs and venue initiative (includes training venue staff in responding to
emergencies); and peer education teams (includes attendance at events to promote safer
partying and harm reduction strategies to young people). SAM operates in New South
Wales, Queensland, South Australia, ACT and Northern Territory, and will shortly commence
in other states.
However, as already indicated, aside from some basic monitoring and evaluation strategies
with a number of programs, the evidence base about ATS specific primary prevention
strategies is limited. For example, to date, only one study has reported on prevention
strategies specifically targeting methamphetamine use among adolescents. Spoth and
colleagues (2006) concluded that effective prevention strategies should focus on brief
universal interventions that incorporate: reducing early initiation into drug use (alcohol,
tobacco, cannabis); skills-building opportunities; alternative activities; and family and/or
peer support. At a recent meeting of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the
following strategies for preventing the use of methamphetamine by young people were
suggested: school-based activities (e.g., life skills training, teacher training, use of positive
reinforcement techniques); careful targeting of high-risk families for pre-school interventions;
using peer-based techniques to deliver information and skills; and empowering communities
to reduce drug-related harm (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2006).
These various reports suggest that at-risk young people should be a particular target of
prevention and harm reduction strategies. This in turn indicates that organisations that
are involved in providing services to at-risk young people should be a component of any
prevention or harm reduction strategy, and any program should include strategies to
enhance their capacity (resources and skills) to recognise and intervene in escalating ATS
use, including identification of those at high-risk of developing problematic patterns of use.
Such activities and interventions need to be accessible and relevant to young people, and
accurately describe the potential risks and harms involved with ATS use.