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Indigenous Call for a Return of Alcohol Bans
AMOS AIKMAN
The Northern Territory government’s refusal to maintain Intervention-era grog bans is undermining one of its own best measures for stopping alcohol-fuelled violence, say experts who have urged the government to rethink.
The scheme has been credited with a swift drop in alcohol fuelled and domestic violence in places such as Alice Springs.
Allowing grog bans to lapse in about 400 communities and outstations means people living there can buy booze again.
Donna Ah Chee, head of the health service Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, says her organisation’s clinics have been struggling to cope with more intoxicated patients on top of an already-crippling pandemic burden, since the alcohol rules changed on July 17.
The emergency response (dubbed the Intervention) was opposed by many Indigenous groups that were concerned about discriminatory policy. Ironically, some of those groups are at the forefront of arguing for the Intervention-era grog bans to be reinstated.
A coalition including Aboriginal Medical Alliance Services NT, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency wrote to Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney on June 9.
In their six-page letter, they argued the provisions were “not …racist or negative discrimination”. “Rather, they are … positive and beneficial special measures in keeping with the High Court’s latest definition,” they wrote.
NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles insisted in parliament this week that her government’s decision to scrap the grog bans was based on consultation with “hundreds” of communities.
Sources in the Aboriginal community service sector denied this and said they believed the government acted on an incorrect legal interpretation.
Ms Fyles spokeswoman said her government “cannot extend a commonwealth law, nor will we support paternalistic policies which criminalise Aboriginal communities”. The government has not answered requests to provide evidence about its consultation process or to show the changes are not causing harm.
Opposition domestic violence spokesman Steve Edgington said levels of domestic violence were “unacceptably high”, up 42 per cent since 2016.
“The catastrophic increase in domestic violence across the Territory under Labor’s watch has got to stop,” he said. “Unlike Labor, we will always put the rights of victims above those of offenders. The Fyles government has failed Territorians and failed to keep them safe. In Alice Springs last week, police reported 54 cases of domestic violence over a 48-hour period.”
This is our voice: tackle grog and violence
SARAH ISON JESS MALCOLM
Remote Australia’s Aboriginal female MPs have united to demand the nation tackle domestic violence and alcoholism ravaging Indigenous communities, with Labor’s Marion
Scrymgour likening the removal of grog bans to “pulling forces out of Afghanistan”.
…Senator Price and Ms Scrymgour – who are both based in Alice Springs – were united on a tough approach to alcohol fuelled violence affecting Indigenous women in the red centre.
Ms Scrymgour, who was elected to the Northern Territory seat of Lingiari in May, said grog ban measures in place for 14 years since John Howard’s Intervention could not suddenly be
revoked with no plan on how to manage the fallout.
“When a government puts a protective regime of that kind in place, and leaves it in place for that long, you can’t just suddenly pull the pin on it without any protection, sanctuary or plan for the vulnerable women and children whom the original measure was supposed to protect,” she said in her maiden speech to the lower house.
“To do that is more than negligent – at the level of impact on actual lives it is tantamount to causing injury by omission. It’s like pulling your forces out of Afghanistan but leaving your local workers and their dependants in harm’s way on the ground without an escape plan.”
The speech came as the Territory government decided not to extend alcohol bans covering about 400 Aboriginal outstations and communities, prompting concern over a “massive”
increase in rates of violence and abuse fuelled by the abuse of alcohol. Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney is urgently seeking a meeting with Chief Minister Natasha Fyles amid concern over the lifting of the grog bans.
Senator Price began her day with her grandfather’s sister, Tess Napaljarri Ross, who has spent all week with her at parliament, with the pair participating in a traditional ceremony in the grounds of Parliament House before the maiden speech.
As she spoke emotionally of the recent murder-suicide of a young woman and her baby at the hands of the woman’s male partner in Alice Springs last week, Senator Price slammed the end of alcohol bans and said it was one of the most “appalling examples of legislation”.
She also criticised the federal government’s moves to abolish the cashless debit card.
“We see two clear examples this week over failure to listen. The news grog bans will be lifted on dry communities, allowing the scourge of alcoholism and the violence that accompanies it free reign,” she said. “Couple this with the removal of the cashless debit card that allowed countless families on welfare to feed their children rather than seeing their money claimed by kinship demands from alcoholics, substance abusers and gamblers in their own family group.”
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Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
What Does Neonatal Mean?
Neonatal is defined as relating to or affecting a newborn infant during the first month after birth. Neonatal is a term used in many different areas of medicine. Addiction treatment is one field of medicine to use the term neonatal because of neonatal abstinence syndrome.
What is Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome?
Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a group of medical problems faced by newborns who were exposed to addictive drugs during their mother’s pregnancy. Drugs the mother takes pass through the placenta to the baby. The baby becomes physically dependent on the drug at the same time as the mother.
If the mother continues to take drugs immediately before birth, the newborn will emerge entirely dependent on that drug. The newborn will experience withdrawal symptoms while its body is slowly getting the drug out of their system.
Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome
NOWS is the blanket term to describe a newborn with NAS caused solely by opioids. This is the most common type of NAS.
NAS With Drugs Other Than Opioids
A newborn may experience NAS and withdrawal symptoms when exposed in the womb to:
- Alcohol
- Benzodiazepines
- Barbiturates
- Antidepressants
- Although they won’t experience NAS or withdrawal symptoms, there may be long-term health effects on babies that were exposed to:
- Nicotine
- Amphetamines
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
What Are the Signs of NAS?
Signs of NAS may be different for every newborn, most occur within 3 days of birth, but some newborns may not show signs for up to 6 months. If your newborn is showing signs of NAS, contact a doctor as soon as possible. Signs may include:
- Body shakes
- Fussiness
- Excessive crying
- Poor feeding and low weight
- Breathing problems
- Fever
- Blotchy skin
- Sleep problems
- Diarrhea
- Throwing up
- Stuffy nose
- Sneezing
Initial Medical Complications for the Newborn
Babies with NAS are at increased risk of:
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS may cause the unexplained death of the baby while sleeping.
- Low birthweight. If your baby weighs less than 5 lbs.
- Jaundice. Your baby’s eyes and skin look yellow, meaning the liver hasn’t developed properly.
- Seizures
Also See: Children: The Real & Lasting Casualties of Domestic Violence – The AOD Connection
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New study shows that those who had substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms when they were 18 years are more likely to have SUD symptoms in adulthood, more likely to use prescription drugs and more likely to have prescription drug misuse compared to those who had no SUD symptoms at 18 years. The risks are higher with those who had severe SUD symptoms when they were 18 years. (Dalgarno Institute – This is further vital evidence of the need to focus on Demand Reduction in for the emerging generation. Also see Protective Factor Number One in Drug Use Prevention Science)
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Police burn $5.2 billion worth of drugs: Weighing almost the same as four adult male African elephants, Australian Federal Police have burnt 25.8 tonnes worth of licit drugs in 2021 found on Australian shores.
The AFP's destruction program estimate the value of methamphetamine, MDMA, amphetamines, cannabis and fast-acting stimulants found at more than $5 billion.
The eastern command in NSW dominated Australia's illegal drug trafficking market, with police burning 19.4 tonnes this year.
Within those findings it was stimulants (methamphetamine, MDMA) uncovered the most at 15.7 tonnes.
One tonne of cocaine was also destroyed while police incinerated 9.3 tonnes of gamma-butyrolcactone (GBL), a fast-acting stimulant linked to fatal overdoses in Australia.
In Western Australia, South Australia and Alice Springs districts, police destroyed almost 900 kilograms of illicit drugs, including more than 260kg of stimulants and 505 kilograms of cannabis.
Victorian and Tasmanian regions vaporised 3.7 tonnes of illicit drugs, comprising of more than two tonnes of khat, a stimulant found in the leaves of an East African shrub, 630kg of pseudoephedrine and 506kg of methamphetamine.
The haul in Queensland and parts of the Northern Territory included 680kg of methamphetamine and MDMA, 530kg of cannabis and 200kg of cocaine.
For complete article go to https://www.youngwitness.com.au/story/7547813/police-burn-52-billion-worth-of-drugs/
Reducing illicit drug use in Australia isn’t all about cutting supply
The covert nature of illegal drug supply chains and their serious and organised crime facilitators then obfuscates all but the most visible impacts. Australian law enforcement’s seizures before, at and after our borders are impressive, but the correlation between these successes and decreased drug availability and consumption has been difficult to measure. Until now.
In early 2017, many of the country’s top police predicted that the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program would make surprising discoveries about the scale of our national drug problem. And they were right.
The program involves the analysis of wastewater from treatment plants across Australia. These samples are analysed to identify markers of illicit and licit drugs. With this data, the ACIC has provided an estimate of the quantities of illegal drugs consumed in Australia.
In October, the ACIC released the 14th report of the program. As you’d expect, there are many variances in usage across drugs and locations. The data does, however, provide a robust evidence base for policymakers. It tells the story of whether and how law enforcement operations affect usage rates across different types of drugs. It also shows where the hotspots are in terms of use.
Let’s for a moment consider the use of methamphetamine or ‘ice’. For more than a decade, methamphetamine use has had a devastating health and safety impact on Australian communities from the bush to our cities. The stories from medical professionals, police and family members tell a tragic tale of violence and heartache.
In April 2015, the government established a national ice taskforce to advise on the impacts of ice in Australia and drive the development of a national ice action strategy. The taskforce delivered its final report to the prime minister in October 2015 and it was publicly released in December of that year.
The ACIC’s wastewater monitoring reports show that, despite the best efforts of health professionals and law enforcement, the amount of ice consumed in our community skyrocketed from 2018 to 2020.
This didn’t happen because law enforcement wasn’t doing its job. The ACIC’s illicit drug data report for 2019–20 reveals that law enforcement seized 9,408 kilograms of methamphetamine during that year—up a whopping 1,415% from 2010–11. They also arrested 44,847 alleged offenders, up 322% from 2010–11.
So, what’s the problem? Well, it seems from the latest ACIC report that these operational results are not actually having a marked impact on illicit drug supply or use. Law enforcement’s role in Australia isn’t to seize more drugs but to reduce criminal threats and promote safety and security in our communities.
Report 14 shows that, nationally, the average daily level of methylamphetamine use remained at approximately 40 doses per 1,000 people for December 2020 and April 2021.
As a starting point, the federal government should consider adopting total illicit drug consumption, as measured by the wastewater monitoring program, as a key performance measure for its primary law enforcement agencies: the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Border Force and the ACIC. In doing so, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement could undertake an annual inquiry into the effectiveness of law enforcement in reducing the consumption of illicit drugs.
This approach needn’t mean that law enforcement shouldn’t still focus on and measure seizures. Instead, this additional measure will afford government and law enforcement an opportunity to better quantify the effect of these seizures and arrests. Initially, doing so will likely reveal problems with some of our supply-reduction strategies. However, it will have substantial long-term benefits in making our communities safer and more resilient.
For complete article 13 Dec 2021
For further Research
- AOD Primary Prevention & Demand Reduction Priority Primer: TASKING THE NATIONAL HEALTH STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY WELL-BEING.
- Is Your Rental Property Toxic? Baking Bad: Home Drug use & Residential Drug Labs on the Rise.
- Parliamentary Inquiry into Communication Campaigns Targeting Drug & Substance Abuse
- Drug Policy: Building or Demolishing Community Resilience?
- The Winnable War on Drugs: The impact of illicit drug use on families House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Human Services
Dalgarno Institute 2021