Mixed reaction to NZ drug policy

The new National Drug Policy continues to value the harm reduction approach over
the harm removal approach in the State sector's dealings with drug addicts, Candor Trust believes.

For road safety this may be bad news, although some hope does lie in the fact that traffic crashes are now listed as a drug related harm, along with child neglect - both matters intimately tied to the road toll.

Minimising alcohol and drug related crashes and the associated injuries is set down as a goal, which Candor sees as a very positive and necessary step if not the priority goal.

'At least the Government is taking seriously real issues - like drug abuse causing over a quarter of the road toll - instead of engaging in the hysteria over party pills'.

But in road safety the big picture within the drug world is worrying. Bitter fruit has fallen from the last disastrous drug policy which 7 years ago steered a path away from requiring compulsory treatment for alcoholics or addicts.

It clearly stated that the least Government interference in peoples 'choices' the better, which showed a disturbing lack of understanding of addictive pathology.

We have seen the fruit of past policy mistakes in a former alcohol rehabilitation centre boss being twice arrested for DUI this week. Also in record numbers of HIV diagnoses.

And we have seen the fruit of Courts being reluctant to prescribe assessment and
treatment for impaired drivers, in the occurrence of a tragic crash in Lower Hutt in recent times.

A young female addict, clearly unsupported by appropriate services after a recent DUI conviction, proceeded to kill 2 innocent people in a drug induced head-on crash.

In a more civilised era such as the 1980's, this woman and others like her may well have received the help she needed to save us from the threat she posed,
inside facilities such as the now defunct highly renowned Queen Mary Hospital.

Yet despite all the mayhem in many areas due to real service reduction the present policy still seems very much an outgrowth of the prior 'do nothing' policy.

'Abstinence' based recovery was given a fleeting one sentence mention within the
new policy and the hat was also tipped toward encouraging 'drug free lifestyles'
presumably only among youth, but little evidence of any intent to reduce demand
for drugs among adults who have become hooked was on offer.

Indeed it was instead proposed to increase availability of places in the methadone program, which naturally increases drug demand overall.

As the supply of illicit opiates is limited in NZ (per the policy) but now free opiates are flooding into the market here, large numbers of patients trade their medicine or part of it for methamphetamine (P) per reports Candor regularly receives.

'It's a similar situation to the one lately identified in the States where patients overcome the lethargy of their treatment by turning to cocaine instead.'

Now, rather than admit the treatment is fundamentally flawed the manufacturers
are trying to come up with a drug to treat the cocaine habits their methadone
clients pick up.

'It's hard to understand why they're pushing this barrel hard considering that concerns about the programs safety have been voiced by prominent Professors and Coroners tired of cleaning up the mess'.

The whole 'harm minimisation' approach has actually been exposed as having some big problems in discreet areas lately, and Candor members do not feel this fact has been weighted heavily enough in the Ministry of Health's latest offering.

Candor believes that New Zealands emissaries to the United Nations General
Assembly will have a great deal of explaining to do when questioned about progress made in NZ to reduce drug demand, at the UN General Assembly in 2008.

The policy makes clear that statistics are not even gathered regarding half of
the illicit drug market - diverted controlled medicines. New Zealand is somewhat unique in having no longer offering any realistic option of entering a drug rehab.

Californian law lately changed to prevent imprisonment of drug offenders and
instead require them to enter treatment facilities.

The results have been astounding with high numbers of methamphetamine and opiate addicts achieving abstinence - far better results than are reported from the
Kiwi's only state sanctioned choice of enrolling at the methadone clinic.

We can see that approach has failed by the need to now introduce the treatment
in the prison setting. A matter Labour seems to be touting as a victory not defeat.

It is ironic really, given that the treatment does not reduce HIV per the Ministry of Health, nor overdose mortality and that it's last remaining justification as a societal harm reducer is that it slightly reduces offending (except by those on P).

We're afraid that from a road safety stance the crime reduction is hardly true
either. These patients drive more impaired more often than other addicts, if their high crash involvement is anything to go on.

If genuine progress is to result from the new policy in road safety we do need to wind the clock back, say Candor.

'Forget the cliff bottom stuff of doshing out methadone in prisons - start at the cliff top by providing education and treatment to drink and drug driving offenders, and do so well before their third conviction'.

It's very simple really. Reduce the risk of crashes by encouraging those who
should not play round with drugs or alcohol because it is toxic to them, not to.

And don't increase the road risk of these people by denying proper help, and
just plying them with Government issue drugs on demand just so they won't rob
homes.

Research is needed concerning the extent of prescription drug abuse and it's effect on road safety, and safety warnings about 'sleep driving' should go on benzodiazepine tranquiliser pill boxes (mandatory in the U.S.A).

'If they are to put graphic warnings on ciggy packets why not do the same for
risk drugs - the opiates and the benzodiazepines?'

Candor will also be seeking a law change concerning drug possession.

Small quantities of traffic risk drugs possessed by an unimpaired driver or their passengers should not be met with criminal sanctions.

But instead with an instant fine, to discourage drug use prior to or during travel.

The same penalty could also apply to people with opened bottles of alcohol in their vehicle. Rewarding safe behaviour this way would free up thousands of Police hours.

The dollars saved could be used on road safety education or even drug treatment.
Time will tell whether the Policy could be compatible with pragmatic initiatives.

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