E-substance July 2009

Public consultation to begin on liquor review

The Law Commission is due to release its public discussion document – “Alcohol in our Lives” - on the liquor review later this week, which marks the beginning of a 3-month period of public consultations.

Commission President Sir Geoffrey Palmer has earlier made some of his thoughts on the review known in a couple of public speeches, which can be read on the Commission’s website.

Details on the Commission’s consultation process haven’t been released yet, but we expect a small number of public meetings to be held in main centres, but anticipate that the Commission will rely heavily on their new consultation website to obtain feedback.  From August, “Talkliquor” will allow you to participate in forum discussions, answer quick surveys, send in an online submission or comment and find out more information about the liquor review.  Signup now at www.talklaw.co.nz.

The Drug Foundation’s August Matters of Substance (due late August) includes an interview with Sir Geoffrey Palmer and examines a wide range of issues and opinions about alcohol.

Meanwhile, the mood for change is bubbling away:
Clearly, some people in the liquor business are not good at reading the signs… No-one should be in any doubt about where the blame should lie if the current review of the liquor laws gives effect to a public backlash against excessive consumption. The promoters of the drink-to- get-pissed culture were too thick or too greedy, or both, to see it coming. Read more of curmudgeonly Karl du Fresne’s opinion piece - Shame on the liquor industry and a clot in Invercargill.

Through the maze: Healthy drug law – Presentations now available

A number of presentations given at our February drug policy symposium are now online at www.healthydruglaw.org.nz.

We’ve also recently published the 5th in a series of videos from the symposium - The new video looks at methamphetamine.  Watch it and the other videos on our YouTube channel.

A 1-hour DCD of symposium highlights is also available from the Drug Foundation at no cost.  Simply contact Gemma for your copy: admin@drugfoundation.org.nz.

Drug driving law passes

Drink drivers will not be the only drivers targeted by Police this Christmas. The passing of the Land Transport Amendment Bill (No.4) last month gives Police the power to conduct roadside tests for drug impairment on suspicion a driver is under the influence of drugs.

From December, drivers pulled over for erratic driving can be checked for both alcohol and other drugs. A breath test for alcohol will be conducted first, then, if the officer suspects impairment beyond that expected given the breathalyser result, drivers will be asked to undergo a compulsory standard field sobriety test (SFST). This involves several behavioural tests such as standing on one leg and counting, walking a straight line heel-to-toe, and tracking a moving object in front of the face with the eyes. Failure to satisfactorily complete these tests is taken as evidence of driving impairment, requiring drivers to then undergo an evidential blood test.

The presence of psychoactive drugs in blood in any amount will result in a charge under the new offence of driving while impaired and with evidence in the bloodstream of a controlled drug or prescription medicine. Drivers who fail the initial SFST but are later found to have no evidence of drugs in blood cannot be charged with a drug driving offence.  Blood test results will not be immediate however, and drivers who fail the SFST will have their cars temporarily impounded to prevent them driving for the duration of their suspected impairment.

The Drug Foundation will soon release its research report from our Great New Zealand Drug Driving Survey.  For a copy of the report when it's released contact Kate Hammond.

The most trusted man in America dies
Walter Cronkite Knew a Failed War When He Saw One: Vietnam and the War on Drugs.

Addiction scientists call for end to executions for drug offenders
The death penalty for those convicted of drug trafficking and other drug-related offences should be abolished as it is both ineffective as a policy measure and a violation of human rights. So write a group of prominent addiction scientists who believe that the international addiction community has a responsibility to support the abolitionist cause.

The editorial "Drug trafficking: time to abolish the death penalty", in the August issue of the journal Addiction, argues that capital punishment is not an effective deterrent for drug-related offences, since it is usually poor and replaceable mules and "runners" who are likely to be caught and executed.

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Cutting Edge 2009, 10-11 September, Wellington

Early Bird registrations close 7 August.

Cutting Edge is the national conference for the addiction treatment sector. This year’s theme -- Our Place, Our Future --  reflects the challenges facing the addiction workforce as it tackles the issues of bringing alcohol, drug, gambing and tobacco cessation together into a more coherent service for the public. The conference will focus on treatment interventions that address wellness, recovery from dependence, and work with clients.

Keynote speakers include:

• George De Leon, Ph.D., is an internationally recognised expert in the treatment of substance abuse, and acknowledged as the leading authority on treatment and research in therapeutic communities. He is currently Science Director of the Behavior Science Training programme at National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI), and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, at New York University Medical School.
• Dr Steven Onken is a Mental Health Services Research Specialist with the Mental Health Service Research, Evaluation and Training Center (MHSRET)., which has an associate faculty joint appointment with the School of Social Work and the Social Science Research Institute at the University of Hawai‘i in Mÿnoa, USA. Dr Onken specialises in mental health recovery; and the measurement and sustainable development of consumer/survivor self-help and peer support services.

Other speakers include Director of the National Addiction Centre Professor Doug Sellman, Law Commission President Sir Geoffrey Palmer, Professor Barry Jackson from Wellington School of Medicine, and lawyer Moana Jackson.

In addition to the conference, skills-based workshops led by keynote speakers will be held on 12 September.

Visit the conference website for more information or email cuttingedge@cmsl.co.nz.

International Youth Day, and New Zealand’s Hoodie Day

Wear a hoodie to mark UN's International Youth Day & Hoodie Day Wednesday 12 August

Celebrate International Youth Day and Hoodie Day by getting everyone at your organisation or community group to wear a hoodie, and donate a gold coin to raise funds for young people and older people in NZ. Or, put on an event to celebrate NZ's Hoodie Day, and UN's International Youth Day.

Donate the funds you raise to Hoodie Day organisers NZ Aotearoa Adolescent Health and Development (NZAAHD) to show your support for other young people in NZ. NZAAHD works to support, inform and connect organisations that work with youth across New Zealand.

NZAAHD will pass on 10% of funds raised to their partner organisation Age Concern - to help show that young people care about their older people! Age Concern work to serve the needs of older people in NZ.

A representative from the group that raises the most will be flown to Wellington to present a cheque to Age Concern on behalf of all young people in NZ.

Visit www.hoodieday.co.nz for more info.