Parents booklet - Talking with your kids about drugs
Tough on Drugs
PDF printable version of Tough on Drugs (PDF 97 KB)No group can tackle the drug problem alone. However, communities working together can make a real difference. That’s why the Australian Government has invested over $1.4 billion under the Tough on Drugs initiative.
It is the largest single national initiative ever undertaken in this country to fight the drug problem.
In cooperation with state and territory governments, the Tough on Drugs initiative is a grouping of individuals, families, business, government and community and charitable organisations, each contributing their expertise to tackle the drug problem at its source.
It is an approach that brings together law enforcement, prevention, treatment and education issues.
The Australian National Council on Drugs, representing a variety of views, advises the Government from the front line on the development and implementation of Tough on Drugs.
Complementing Tough on Drugs is the Australian Government’s 2006 commitment of $1.9 billion to a range of services for people with a mental illness, their families and carers. This includes new funding to respond to the needs of drug users who have a coexisting mental illness.
- Helping teachers learn more about how to handle the issue.
- Providing information and support to parents.
- Developing better ways for school communities to fight drug misuse in schools.
- Providing material for schools to hold their own local ‘forum’ to bring students, teachers and parents together on this issue.
Educating young people at school
Schools are critical places to educate young people against drugs. That’s why a National School Drug Education Strategy has been put in place to help parents, teachers, principals and school communities send a strong anti-drug message.The Australian Government and its state and territory counterparts work together on the strategy, which emphasises prevention and makes it clear that illicit drugs have no place in our schools.
Resources are available to improve teachers’ skills and knowledge about drug prevention education and to inform parents and the wider community. Under the National School Drug Education Strategy (1999-2008), the Australian Government has committed more than $47 million to fund new and innovative drug education programs for students and training for teachers. These include:
Continuing prevention measures
The National Drugs Campaign is a key element of the Australian Government's efforts to prevent the uptake of illicit drugs and there is strong evidence of its success.An independent evaluation reported that two in three parents found the campaign made it easier for them to talk to their children about drugs. About two-thirds of young people reported that the campaign had influenced them, primarily to avoid using drugs and situations where they are used, and to think about the consequences of using them. As well, more than half felt that the campaign had made it easier to talk to their parents about drugs.
The Australian Government has invested $32.9 million in the third phase of the National Drugs Campaign as part of its commitment to ensure that young Australians and their parents have up-to-date information about the dangers of illicit drug use.
A further $21 million is committed to raising community awareness of the links between illicit drugs and mental health problems as part of the Australian Government’s 2006 mental health package.
Strengthening and supporting families
Strengthening and Supporting Families Coping with Illicit Drug Use (Strengthening Families) is an early-intervention, family-focused initiative that helps non-government organisations assist families struggling with or affected by the problems of illicit drug and substance abuse. This is achieved through education and counselling support services, advice and referral services and targeted projects for families.Strengthening Families projects enhance emotional wellbeing and communication within families and are specifically directed towards family support, rather than the health, education or criminal aspects of the strategy.
The main focus of Strengthening Families is to provide support for families, including parents, grandparents, carers and children of drug-using parents. The initiative focuses on illicit drugs but recognises polydrug use, as well as the problems arising from the abuse of legal substances such as alcohol and aerosols.
Improving support and treatment
The Australian Government, in cooperation with state and territory governments, has established a national drug treatment network across Australia’s cities and towns to provide treatment to those affected by drug use.In cooperation with health professionals and private and charitable organisations, this network helps to bring treatment, education and support services within reach of those who need it. The Australian Government has provided more than $142 million to date to over 200 non-government organisations to deliver treatment services across the country. With new funding announced in the 2007 Budget, the Australian Government will provide more than $170 million over the next four years to build on this investment and support charitable and non-government organisations to continue to tackle the drug problem at the grassroots level.
A strong effort has been made to ensure that resources reach those with an illicit drug problem in rural and regional areas and to make sure treatment services meet the needs of families and young people.
Diverting users
In a major initiative, the Australian Government has allocated more than $340 million to establish a national system to divert illicit drug users into expert assessment and on to necessary education and treatment with the goal of them becoming drug free.Drug diversion says to users that if they want to be free of the criminal justice system they have a personal responsibility to work to be free of drugs.
Importantly, this approach has the support of state and territory governments which will ensure that the diversion program will not be available to persistent or violent offenders or those dealing in drugs.
Those who refuse to participate in the scheme will be sent back to the criminal justice system and face the possibility of gaol.
In this way drug users will be encouraged to take responsibility for themselves so that they can regain control of their lives.
- “The Australian Federal Police works hard with its partner agencies to combat illicit drug trafficking into Australia. However, there is only so much that law enforcement agencies can do. As parents, we all have a responsibility to educate our children about the health, lifestyle and criminal dangers associated with drugs. I urge all parents to encourage an open and supportive family environment, where young people can feel comfortable talking to those closest to them about drug-related issues.”
M J Keelty APM, Commissioner, Australian Federal Police, Member of Australian National Council on Drugs
Finding the answers
The Australian Government has sought to provide a stronger focus on proven treatment methods to assist drug users to recover.Funding for practical research into drug addiction has been provided to trial and evaluate new treatments, such as naltrexone and buprenorphine.
Along with current methadone and other outpatient, residential and drug-free programs including cognitive behavioural therapy, contingency management, and motivational counselling, treatments offer new hope to many people addicted to illicit drugs.
The Tough on Drugs initiative is also supporting the development of an early warning system for emerging drug problems and the creation of the Australian Drug Information Network as a single point of contact for web site information on drug education, prevention, treatment and research.
Stopping drug trafficking
Under the Tough on Drugs initiative, the Australian Government is working to stop trafficking and dealing in illegal drugs and the chemicals used to produce them (also call precursors). Customs officers and federal, state and territory police are working together around Australia to apprehend those who supply and distribute illicit drugs.Across the country there are more than 46,000 police officers who are working to keep local neighbourhoods, towns and cities safe from crime, including drug-related offences.
Police in local communities are supported by specially trained Australian Federal Police agents and by the more than 5,500 Customs officers who are protecting our borders.
Customs uses sophisticated surveillance resources, including National Marine Unit vessels fitted with satellite video transmission systems and Coastwatch aerial surveillance capabilities, to combat the importation of illicit drugs and their precursors. Customs also employs sophisticated drug-detection technology such as ion scan and x-ray to assess and process passengers and cargo in order to intercept illicit drug importation. The Australian Federal Police has refined and increased its intelligence-led law enforcement practices to proactively target drug trafficking networks. In addition, the Australian Crime Commission is able to exercise special ‘coercive powers’ in circumstances where traditional law enforcement methods are not sufficient in gaining comprehensive information about drug producers and traffickers.
Australia is also working with other nations to address the international problem of the supply and trafficking of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals. The Australian Government is proactive in initiating joint opportunities to share knowledge and improve the capacity of the Asia-Pacific region to address issues related to illicit drugs and precursors. The Government has increased cooperation with overseas authorities by establishing a Law Enforcement Cooperation Program and expanding the Australian Federal Police overseas liaison officer network. Other government agencies such as Customs and the Attorney-General's Department are also working to stop illicit drugs and precursors from reaching Australia’s borders by promoting better laws and policies within regional countries.
Locally, the Australian Government recognises that industry sectors are often an unwitting source of precursor chemicals and related equipment for illicit drug manufacture. Building partnerships with industry sectors like the pharmacy, plastics and chemicals industries are central to the Government’s approach to stopping illicit drug manufacture.
These and other initiatives have contributed to the seizure of record quantities of illicit drugs in Australia in recent years. Since the inception of Tough on Drugs, more than 14 tonnes of the most serious illicit drugs (including ecstasy, heroin, cocaine and amphetamine-type substances) have been prevented from reaching Australian streets.
Penalties have also recently been increased for the importation of commercial quantities of illicit drugs and their precursor chemicals. The most serious drug offences now have penalties of life imprisonment and/or a fine of $825,000 attached, while the most serious precursor offences can attract penalties of up to 25 years and/or $550,000.
These actions send a clear message that Australians do not tolerate drug crime and that offenders will be caught and punished.
The Australian Government is particularly concerned about illicit manufacture of amphetamines (including Ice) in the community and encourages you to report any suspicions of drug manufacturing to the police.
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