| ACT AOD Sector Project
The AOD Sector Project is a one-off twelve-month capacity
building Project that began on 23 July 2007 and ends on 30 June 2008.
The Youth Coalition of
the ACT was the successful tenderer to provide support to ACT AOD
Workers to conduct the AOD Sector Project. The Project aims to build the capacity and identity of the ACT AOD sector,
foster intra and cross-sectoral relationships, and improve outcomes
while maintaining respect for the diversity of services and
for people who are affected by AOD.
For more information visit http://www.aodsector.org.au or contact Amanda Bode,
ACT AOD Sector Project Officer, Youth Coalition of the ACT on info@aodsector.org.au or 6247 3540.
March ACT AOD Sector Forum
The ACT AOD Sector Forum is for AOD Workers and is hosted by a different
AOD service each month. The guest speaker for the March forum will
be Barry Petrovski, Executive Officer, Mental Health Community Coalition.
Barry will provide participants with an overview of the mental health
sector in the ACT, including information on resources and strategies
that
AOD workers can use to better connect with the mental health sector
and to support co-morbid clients.
Date: Thursday 27 March 2008
Time: 12.45pm for arrivals, forum 1pm - 3pm.
Venue: Building 7, The Canberra Hospital, Palmer St, Garran
Note: This forum is for AOD Workers only.
Click here for more information or to RSVP contact Amanda Bode, ACT AOD
Sector Project Officer, Youth Coalition of the ACT on info@aodsector.org.au or
(02) 6247
3540
ACT Drug Action Week Planning Group
Drug Action Week (DAW) is a national week
of activities to raise awareness about alcohol and other drug issues
and to promote the achievements of those
who work to reduce drug related harm. The AOD Sector Project will be coordinating
an ACT Drug Action Week Planning Group , in response to the stated need
of the sector. The Planning Group will be involved in the development
of activities for Drug Action Week and is open to anyone in the sector.
Date: Thursday 6 March
Time: 2 - 3pm
Location: Youth Coalition Office, 46 Clianthus St O'Connor.
RSVP: To Amanda Bode, AOD Sector Project Officer, Youth Coalition of the ACT on info@aodsector.org.au or (02) 6247 3540
See also theTraining and Professional Development section for the ACT Training and Professional Development Calendar.
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Update on Project activities.
Information from services that attended the AOD Sector monthly forum.
Launches, key weeks, international days and program and service activities.
Information from the EDs' group that is relevant to the AOD sector and workers.
Information on networks, resources, websites, factsheets and tools for workers.
Training for the AOD and allied sectors, including upcoming seminars, conferences,
bus tours, courses and other professional development opportunities.
New research, reports, inquiry findings, and any key policy activities effecting
the AOD sector.
Media Releases and news items relevant to the ACT AOD Sector.
Information items about consumer participation that are relevant to the AOD sector
and workers.
Information from and about allied sectors that is relevant to the AOD sector
and workers.
Employment opportunities in the ACT AOD and allied sectors.
Upcoming grants, funding opportunities and tenders.
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Alcohol and Drug Program (ADP)
Service spokesperson: Kate Gardner
Phone: 6205 8381, Email: Kate.Gardner@act.gov.au
ADP Diversion Service:
The Diversion Service is an assessment, referral and support service for people
referred by the AFP and ACT Courts. Services provided include:
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Police Early Diversion program: Provides for those who have been apprehended
by the Police for possession of a small amount of illicit drugs (or
licit drugs used illicitly). Rather than charge the client, Police
can divert
them to the health sector. The client is referred to the Alcohol & Drug Program Diversion Service for assessment, and then referred to an approved
ACT agency for treatment.
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Court Alcohol and Drug Assessment Service (CADAS): CADAS is a pre-sentencing
treatment option for clients charged with alcohol and other drug
(AOD) related offences. The goals are to reduce recidivism during the
bail
period, and to engage the client in treatment.
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Treatment Referral Program: This is a post sentencing option, for clients who
have either committed a crime to get drugs, or money for drugs, or
while under the influence of drugs.The magistrate or judge may, as
part of the
sentence imposed, instruct a client to undergo a treatment order
rather than receive a custodial sentence or as an option to reduce
their custodial
time.
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Aboriginal Liaison Officer (ALO): Provides support to Indigenous clients
accessing ADP and NGO services. The ALO also provides suppot to Ngamba
Courth and information to other service providers.
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Note: Treatment plans are client directed and clients are supported to develop
and explore achieveable and appropriate treatment options.
ADP Withdrawal Unit:
ADP Opioid Treatment Service:
ADP 2008 Group Programs:
Posters with information on the groups are attached below. Click here to download
a flyer listing all their groups, or download information on each group below.
To register or for more information phone (02) 6205 4515 or (02) 6207 9977.
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Effective Weed Control:
A free 2-hour x 5-week group program for Cannabis users wanting more
information or who want to change their cannabis use.
Click here to download the flyer.
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Relapse Prevention Program:
A free 2-hour x 6-week program for adults with substance use issues,
who wish to develop and maintain healthier lifestyles. Click here to download the flyer.
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Controlling Your Drinking:
A free 4-hour program over 2 weeks designed to help you decide
whether your drinking is harmful, whether alcohol may be controlling
you,
what you get out
of drinking that may block your attempts to cut down and what you
can do for yourself that alcohol is now doing.
Click here to download the flyer.
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Mindfulness Meditation & Stress Management Group:
A free group designed for individuals with, or caring for someone
with, an alcohol and/or other drug issue who want to learn meditation
and other
mindfulness
techniques.
Click here to download the flyer.
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The Stepping Stones Course:
A structured and experiential course for families who are
supporting drug dependent loved ones. Topics include: coping with
stress
and anger, tips
about communication
and boundary/limit setting with the aim of providing families
with resources to assist themselves and the substance user.
Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy (CAHMA)
Service spokesperson: Nicole Wiggins
Phone: 6279 1600, Email: nicolew@aivl.org.au
CAHMA currently has one worker on 20 hours a week. They provide:
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Workshops on various issues.
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Weekly radio show on Tuesdays at 11am on 2XX (98.3fm).
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They are currently working
with the ACT Hep C Council to make a Blood Borne Virus
(BBV) resource to be delivered in the new prison.
Directions ACT
Service spokesperson: Ineke Wilde
Phone: 6122 8000, Email: reception@directionsact.com
Some programs currently being offered by Directions ACT:
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Free and confidential counselling services for indviduals, families and friends
affected by AOD issues (there are currently 5 full time counsellors).
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COMPASS Support Group for people experiencing AOD issues and their
families. The Group meets on alternate Tuesdays from 6 - 8pm.
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Community Education Program offers information, resources & support to minimise harms associated with alcohol & drug use.
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Arcadia House Detoxification and Withdrawal Services offers a safe
and natural detox and is staffed 24 hours a day.
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The Treatment Support Service (TSS) is designed to help people
understand all the treatment options available to them in
both the ACT and interstate.
The TSS is flexible in that it offers a one off informal discussion
around options up to extensive, long-term case management.
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The Outreach Services provides an opportunity for Directions ACT to reach out
into the community, especially to those at risk
of being
affected by alcohol & other drugs, through a range of outreach and health promotion activities.
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Provides the Needle & Syringe Program (NSP) in the city and
Woden.
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Lesley's Place
Service Spokesperson: Yasmin Elferkh
Phone: 6241 7233, Email: lesleys@toora.org.au
Lesleys place currently offers:
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3 month residential service
for women and accompanying children leaving supervised withdrawal.
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Halfway
house for women and accompanying children for up to 12 months.
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Outreach
to women in the community.
The Sobering Up Shelter
Service Spokesperson: Katrina Campion
Phone: 6162 6836, Email: soberingupshelter@centrecare-canberra.org
The Opioid Program(TOP)
Service Spokesperson: Carol Guy
Phone: 6287 8020, Email: c.guy@actdgp.asn.au
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TOP is a clinical service based within General Practice (GP), which aims to improve
the care and treatment of people who are experiencing problems with opioids
/ benzodiazepines or amphetamines in the community.
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TOP can also meet with GP's and clients to advise on treatment options and can
help advise about medication prescribed for home detox.
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TOP currently has one full time team leader working from Winnunga Nimmityjah
Aboriginal Health Service, and a staff member working 3 days a week in
mainstream services.
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There is no current waiting list.
Women's Information, Resources & Education on Drugs & Dependency (WIREDD)
Service spokesperson: Bec
Phone: 6248 8600, Email: wiredd@toora.org.au
Some programs currently being offered by WIREDD include:
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Information and support
for women about drugs.
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Confidential, free one-to-one counselling.
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Drop-in (Monday 11-4, Tuesday 2 -4, Thursday 11-4, and Friday 11-4).
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Women's Relapse Prevention Group every Tuesday from 10.30am - 12.30pm. The group
is open and covers topics such as self-esteem, anger, support systems,
Body
Image, relationship and more.
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Family of Origin Group (19th and 20th of March from 10am - 4pm). It is a group
for women wanting to do some personal work on family
of origin issues, specifically growing up in a dysfunctional family.
Bookings are essential. Click here for more information.
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Beautiful Me Group (5th and 6th March from 10am - 4pm). A two day group exploring
women’s journey with
body image. Bookings are essential. Click here for more information.
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Continuing to provide outreach to Symonston, PSU and detox services.
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Note: Childcare
can be organised if you call in advance.
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Note: See the News from the ACT AOD Sector Project section for information on more training and professional development initiatives
ACT Training and Professional Development Calendar (March - April 2008)
The bi-monthly Training and Professional Development Calendar is produced
as a partnership between the ACT AOD Sector Project and the Youth Coalition
of the ACT. The calendar compiles training and professional development
opportunities available for workers
from
the
AOD and allied
sectors.
Click here to download the current Training and Professional Development
Calendar or visit www.aodsector.org.au
For more information contact Amanda Bode, AOD Sector Project Officer,
Youth Coalition of the ACT on 6247 3540 or info@aodsector.org.au
First in the Community Coalition on Corrections Public Lectures Series....
"How fear and stigma inhibit good health policy"
Blood borne visruses are a key issue in health policy and practice in
custodial settings, and y et reluctance to talk openly about the environment,
and associated risk factors, can substantially limit effective policy
development. David McDonald, a leading consultant in social research
and evaluation, explores how a political and public aversion to discussing
and acknowledging the reality of a custodial environment could lead to
health policies which do not adresss the actuality of prisons.
To encourage open discussion, the address will be followed by question
time.
Presented by: David McDonald
When: Friday 14 March, 2008
Time: 12.30 - 1.30pm
Cost: Free
Where: ACT Legaslative Assembly, ExhibitionRoom, Civic Sq, London Circuit, Canberra
City
Food: Light refreshments provided
For further information contact 6257 2855 or visit www.correctionscoalition.org.au
Second in the Community Coalition on Corrections Public Lectures Series...
Exploring Diversions: Implications of the New ACT Prison and Youth Detention
Centre
The Youth Coalition of the ACT, in collaboration with the Community Coalition
on Corrections and the Australian Institute of Criminology, will be hosting
a seminar on Young People and Youth Diversion, hosted by Katy Gallagher,
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Children and Young People.
This is the second in a series of seminars focused on the new corrections
facilities in the ACT. With the opening of new corrections facilities
in the ACT, Julia Tresidder will explore the purpose of youth diversion
schemes and highlight a range of ways that the ACT can divert young people
from incarceration in relation to minor offences using cannabis issues
as a case study. Minor cannabis related offences are one of a range of
minor offences that can be dealt with by police in a diversionary manner.
Presented by: Julia Tresidder, Australian Institute of Criminology
When: Thursday 20 March, 2008
Time: 12.30pm - 2pm
Cost: Free
Where: ACT Legislative Assembly, London Circuit, Canberra City
Food: Light refreshments provided.
Notes: Open to all. Contact Maiy on (02) 6247 3540 or maiy@youthcoalition.net for more information.
Click here for more information.
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre PhD Scholarships: Round Two
The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) is offering several
PhD scholarships to carry out research on drug or alcohol related issues
relevent to the priorities of the Centre. Applicants should have a
strong honours degree in one of the behavioural sciences (psychology,
public health or a related discipline) and knowledge of EEO/AA principles
and policies. Experience in the drug and alcohol field is desirable,
although not essential.
Round 2
Applications open: Monday 3 March 2008
Applications close: Wednesday 30 April 2008
To download an application form visit http://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au
For queries please contact: Ms Pearl Pulmano, Executive Assistant on
p.pulmano@med.unsw.edu.au
From Go to Whoa: Psychostimulant (Ice, MDMA, Speed) Training Program for Health
Professionals
ACT course facilitated by Jo Smith, Community Education Manager, Directions ACT
One day training course developed by Turning Point, to assist health
professionals to manage and treat users of psychostimulants. Modules
include pharmacology, epidemiology & responding to psychostimulant use.
Date: 12 March and 26 March 2008
Time: 9am -5pm
Venue: Directions ACT, 1 Bradley Street, Woden
For registration information visit http://www.turningpoint.org.au or for
more information contact Kieran Connolly on (03) 8413 8704
or kieranc@turningpoint.org.au
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Note: Most of the reports and research items referenced below are available from
the Alcohol and Other Drug Council of Australias National Resource Centre
at http://www.adca.org.au/resource/index.htm
Supporting the Families of Young People with Problematic Drug Use: Investigating
Support Options
More support is needed for families coping with young people who are either binge
drinking or have issues with drugs, according to this report.
Sally Frye, Sharon Dawe, Paul Harnett, Sascha Kowalenko and Moana Harlen, (2008)
Supporting the families of young people with problematic drug use: investigating
support
options, Australian National Council on Drugs.
Download the report at
www.ancd.org.au/publications/research_papers.htm
‘Senate inquiry to give Australians a say on binge drinking’
Earlier this month Senator Steve Fielding from Families First introduced
a bill into the Senate called the Alcohol Toll Reduction Bill 2007.
According to the Senator’s media release, the bill, if enacted, would
‘require health information labels on all alcohol products, ensure
all alcohol advertising is pre-approved by a government body rather
than the existing industry self-regulation, and ensure television alcohol
advertising runs after 9pm to stop the marketing of alcohol to young
people or which link drinking to personal, business, social, sporting,
sexual or other success’. The Senate referred the bill for consideration
by the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs which will report
by 18 June. Details are online at www.stevefielding.com.au/html/media/SF258_Feb142008.pdf and www.aph.gov.au/SENATE/COMMITTEE/CLAC_CTTE/alcohol_reduction/index.htm .
National Hepatitis B Needs Assessment 2007
Although placing heavy emphasis on hepatitis C transmission among people
who use illicit drugs, and from them to others, we sometimes fail to
engage with hepatitis B transmission. The authors of this new report
explain that ‘While people who inject drugs constitute a small proportion
of the estimated number of people with chronic hepatitis B, more than
40% of acute hepatitis B cases are attributed to injecting drug use.
This reflects low levels of vaccine uptake among this high-risk population’
(p. 14).
Wallace, J, McNally, S & Richmond, J 2007, National hepatitis B needs assessment 2007, Australian Research
Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic., www.hepatitisc.org.au/edu/documents/07HepBNeedsAssessment.pdf,
large file warning: 1.53 Mb.
How much does Australia, and the ACT, spend on public health?
The Australian Institute for Health and Welfare has released an updated
edition in this series which includes some trend data back to 1999-00.
The report
summarises
estimates
of
the expenditure
by the Commonwealth Government and each State and Territory Government
(including the ACT) in nine public health activity categories, one of
which is ‘Prevention of hazardous and harmful drug use’. It shows that,
in the 2005-06 year, public health received a tiny 1.85% of the total
recurrent expenditure on health nationally, and the ACT’s expenditure
on public health was just 0.5% of the total ACT health expenditure. Prevention
of hazardous and harmful drug use received 10.4% of the ACT’s public
health expenditure.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2008, National public health
expenditure report 2005-06, Health and Welfare Expenditure Series, no.
32, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra, www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10528 .
Evaluation of the NSW Sober Driver Program
Research indicates that a strategic mix of interventions is needed to
address drink-driving, including engineering, criminal justice system
sanctions and visible enforcement, and education. Programs for apprehended
drink-drivers that help them to better understand their drinking patterns,
learn about alcohol and its effects, and hopefully to initiate behavioural
change, are part of this mix in some communities (including the ACT).
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre researchers have evaluated
the NSW Sober Driver Programme, finding that ‘…participants were 43%
less
likely
to re-offend
over
2 years compared
with community controls who had received sanctions alone. Survey respondents
demonstrated improved knowledge, attitudes and skills regarding drink
driving…[The Programme] appears to be an effective intervention, demonstrating
greater reductions in recidivism when compared with legal sanctions alone’.
Mills, KL, Hodge, W, Johansson, K & Conigrave, KM 2008, ‘An outcome evaluation of the New South Wales Sober Driver
Programme: a remedial programme for recidivist drink drivers’, Drug Alcohol
Rev, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 65-74.
Withdrawing from nicotine and other drugs, and the cannabis withdrawal
syndrome
Clinicians have accepted for some years that a cannabis withdrawal syndrome
exists, though the authorities who determine the disease taxonomies (such
as the Diagnostic Statistical Manual and International Classification
of Diseases systems) have been slower to acknowledge its reality. Researchers
from the Johns
Hopkins
University
School of
Medicine
in the
USA have conducted a small study comparing the nature of withdrawal from
cannabis and nicotine, both separately and concurrently, among heavy
users of both drugs.
Vandrey, RG, Budney, AJ, Hughes, JR & Liguori, A 2008, ‘A within-subject comparison of withdrawal symptoms during
abstinence from cannabis, tobacco, and both substances’, Drug and Alcohol
Dependence, vol. 92, no. 1-3, pp. 48-54.
Does opioid maintenance treatment reduce the risk of death among participants?
Australian researchers have conducted a large, well-designed, long-term
study of mortality among people who use opioids and who have received
treatment by means of methadone or buprenorphine. They found that ‘There
was an overall mortality rate of 8.84 deaths per 1,000 person-years of
follow-up and causes of death were comparable with the literature. Increased
exposure to episodes of opioid treatment longer than 7 days reduced the
risk of mortality; there was no differential mortality among methadone
versus buprenorphine participants…Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
participants had a higher risk of death’. Interestingly, they also found
that ‘…dependent, heavier users of heroin at baseline had a lower risk
of death, and also higher exposure to opioid treatment. Older participants
randomized to buprenorphine treatment had significantly improved survival.’
Gibson, A, Degenhardt, L, Mattick, RP, Ali, R, White, J & O’Brien, S 2008, ‘Exposure to opioid maintenance treatment reduces long-term
mortality’, Addiction, vol. 103, no. 3, pp. 462-8.
Can and should smoking bans be introduced in prisons?
With the opening of the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) planned for
later this year, and the ACT Government stating that detainees’ human
rights will be at the forefront in its design and operation, what evidence
base is there for smoking bans in the prison? This issue has recently
been addressed by US researchers who investigated the processes and impacts
of a new indoor smoking ban law in North Carolina prisons.
The study revealed that, following the implementation of the ban, average
levels of environmental smoke decreased by 77% compared to levels measured
prior to the implementation of the ban.
The researchers have drawn public policy conclusions that are relevant
to the AMC, namely that ‘Laws banning tobacco use in correctional facilities
can significantly reduce indoor [second-hand smoke] exposure among inmates,
visitors and staff and potentially lead to reduced use. To date, 24 U.S.
states have enacted 100% smoke free correctional facility polices for
all indoor areas even though inmates and staff have much higher tobacco
use prevalence rates than the general population. With an estimated 9
million people incarcerated worldwide, prison smoking bans could have
a substantial impact in terms of health outcomes and long term costs
if bans can effectively reduce exposure to secondhand smoke’.
Proescholdbell, SK, Foley, KL, Johnson, J & Malek, SH 2008, ‘Indoor air quality in prisons before and after implementation
of a smoking ban law, Tobacco Control, doi:10.1136/tc.2007.022038.
Australian scholars have reached different conclusions on the basis
that smoking bans in prisons do not prevent smoking there, are ineffective
in assisting prisoners to quit smoking in either the short or long term,
and introduce a range of unintended adverse consequences linked to the
establishment of an additional black market:
Butler, T, Richmond, R,
Belcher, J, Wilhelm, K & Wodak, A 2007, ‘Should smoking be banned in prisons? Commentary’, Tobacco Control,
vol. 16, pp. 291-3.
Can peer education reduce injection risk behaviours for HIV and hepatitis
C virus infection in young injecting drug users?
Researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have
applied experimental methods—a randomised controlled trial—to explore
the efficacy of peer education among young people who inject illegal
drugs, particularly regarding their risk behaviours for hepatitis C and
HIV transmission. The experimental group participated in a ‘…six-session,
small-group, cognitive behavioral, skills-building intervention in which
participants were taught peer education skills’. The intervention ‘…produced
a 29% greater decline in overall injection risk 6 months postintervention
relative to the control…, and a 76% decrease compared with baseline.
Decreases were also observed for sexual risk behaviors, but they did
not differ by trial arm. Overall HCV infection incidence (18.4/100 person-years)
did not differ significantly across trial arms…No HIV seroconversions
were observed.’ The message that the researchers drew from these results
is that ‘Interventions providing information, enhancing risk-reduction
skills, and motivating behavior change through peer education training
can reduce injection risk behaviors, although risk elimination might
be necessary to prevent
HCV transmission’.
Garfein, RS, Golub, ET, Greenberg, AE, Hagan, H, Hanson, DL, Hudson,
SM, Kapadia, F, Latka, MH, Ouellet, LJ, Purcell, DW, Strathdee, SA & Thiede, H 2007, ‘A peer-education intervention to reduce injection risk behaviors
for HIV and hepatitis C virus infection in young injection drug users’,
AIDS, vol. 21, no. 14, pp. 1923-32.
What has been learned from roadside drug testing of drivers in Victoria?
Roadside drug testing of oral fluids (not really random testing, much
of it targeted groups of drivers with elevated risks of having taken
illegal drugs) commenced in Victoria in December 2004 and, in the first
year, 13,176 roadside drug tests were performed. Roadside testing was
for methamphetamines and THC. Positive tests were sent off for laboratory
analysis; they were checked for these two drugs plus MDMA. From these
roadside tests 313 positive cases were identified in the laboratory analyses
(269 methamphetamine, 118 MDMA and 87 THC), 2.4% of the drivers screened.
The level of false positives detected at the roadside was low: just one
to cannabis and four to methamphetamines.
Drummer, OH, Gerostamoulos, D, Chu, M, Swann, P, Boorman, M & Cairns, I 2007, ‘Drugs in oral fluid in randomly selected drivers’, Forensic
Science International, vol. 170, no. 2-3, pp. 105-10.
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