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New policy to tackle drug problem ASSOCIATE Health Minister Jim Anderton has launched a new New Zealand National Drug Policy. The Policy is the Government's five-year framework for preventing and reducing harm from alcohol, tobacco and illegal and other drugs.This is the second Policy, and is aiming to build on initiatives already underway, including Clearing the Smoke - a five year plan for tobacco control in New Zealandand the Methamphetamine Action Plan. "The new Policy aims to have a broader focus than the first, to encompass the social, economic and health harms caused by drugs," said Mr Anderton. The Policy will have three main areas of importance - alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs. The Government is working with the Ministry of Health and ALAC to change the attitudes towards alcohol. Tobacco Tobacco is also a significant area that the National Drug Policy will focus on, with work continuing along the lines drawn out in the first Policy. The Smoke-free Environments Act has been amended to provide for all indoor workplaces to be 100 per cent smoke-free. This includes all bars and restaurants and has significantly reduced the number of people being exposed to toxins in second-hand smoke. In early 2008 pictorial health warnings will be introduced. The warnings are designed to graphically inform smokers, and those contemplating smoking, of the huge range and seriousness of smoking related illnesses. The new pictorial warnings will cover 30 per cent of the front and 90 per cent of the back of a pack of cigarettes. Alcohol "There is a culture of binge drinking among youth in New Zealand. The reality is that young people are reflecting the drinking attitudes and behaviours of adult New Zealanders and we have to acknowledge that this is part of the problem and redefine ourselves as a nation to get away from the pride we seem to have in our 'hard-drinking' culture", said Mr Anderton. Alcohol is the most commonly used recreational drug and one associated with injuries, mental health, strokes, cancers of the mouth, throat, breast and liver as well as economic and social harms such as unemployment, violence and family breakdown. The Government has two reviews ongoing to address regulation of alcohol advertising and the sale and supply of alcohol to minors. Illegal and other drugs Since the first National Drug Policy was launched New Zealand has experienced a significant increase in the availability of methamphetamine, although there is evidence that this increase has now levelled out. The Government has classified methamphetamine as a Class A drug and has developed a Methamphetamine Action Plan to ensure that this drug is effectively controlled. There has also been a rise in so called "party pills" which contain the restricted substance benzylpiperazine (BZP). The Misuse of Drugs Act has been amended to create a new category of restricted substances that may not be sold to people under 18, and may not be advertised in certain media as well as providing for other restrictions on their availability. Government is awaiting the results of its public consultation on BZP before deciding whether to accept the advice of the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs to classify it as a Class C illegal drug. |
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