Melbourne, VIC, 11th March 2011 – UnitingCare Moreland Hall, one of Victoria’s leading alcohol and other drugs agencies, today called for calm in public discussion of issues related to alcohol and other drug use in Victoria. Responding to articles featured in today’s Herald Sun newspaper (http://bit.ly/herladsunghbarticle, http://bit.ly/heraldsun9000overdosesarticle, http://bit.ly/heraldsunnarcanarticle, http://bit.ly/heraldsuneditorial), CEO Laurence Alvis said:

While I would challenge the tone and some of the implied messages of the Herald Sun coverage, the articles have raised some important issues which should be discussed more widely within our community. How we respond to these issues will have a significant impact upon the lives of individuals and their families throughout Victoria and the drug-related harms experienced by broader society.

If we are to have a rational debate about these important issues, we need to move beyond the type of sensationalism that sells newspapers and promotes community outrage. We need to look at the facts as they stand and determine our responses based upon established evidence, not the demands of the media cycle.

While it is important that the media contribute a consistent message about the risks associated with using GHB (its use carries a significant risk of overdose as the difference between a ‘safe’ and an ‘unsafe’ dose is very small), it is equally important that such messages do not get lost amidst sensationalist headlines and fearmongering. GHB can be dangerous, and its continuing use in Victoria represents an ongoing risk. However, it is important to keep in mind that, like most illicit drugs, it is only being used by a very small proportion of the population. In terms of harms to society, alcohol use is still a far bigger problem. 

The reality is that, like the Victorian crime rate, overall levels of alcohol and other drug use have been in decline for some time. There will always be particular challenges to be faced and new drugs (with new sets of associated harms) will continue to emerge. However, it is important to keep the issues in perspective and recognise when success is actually being achieved.

As long as people choose to use alcohol and other drugs, society will never be free of subsequent harms. What we need as a society is a policy, legal and service framework that allows us to achieve the best outcomes for the individuals concerned, their families and the community at large.

Mr Alvis continued: 

It is encouraging that the Herald Sun coverage did introduce the idea of self-administered Narcan (the drug administered by paramedics to temporarily reverse the effects of an opiate overdose: http://bit.ly/heraldsunnarcanarticle). This strategy has been internationally recognised as a potentially effective means to prevent opiate overdose deaths (http://bit.ly/selfadministerednarcanstudy) and is one that should be considered in Victoria. It is by no means a panacea, but would save lives and would contribute to a freeing up of Ambulance Victoria resources.

It would also be a positive outcome if the newspaper’s attention to the role of prescription medications (particularly opiate-based painkillers) in overdoses (http://bit.ly/heraldsun9000overdosesarticle) helped to generate community discussion of the growing problems associated with widespread overuse of these medications. This is not just a ‘drug’ issue but something that needs to be addressed more widely

ENDS

For further information or comment please contact Chief Executive Officer Laurence Alvis on 9384 8880

Background about Moreland Hall: UnitingCare Moreland Hall is an Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) treatment and education agency of the Uniting Church in Australia. Moreland Hall has been operating since 1970 and provides a range of treatment and education services to clients in the North West Metropolitan region of Melbourne. These include counselling and support in the community and at Port Phillip prison, adult and youth home-based and residential withdrawal, education and training, drug diversion programs, supported accommodation and youth and family service.