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Alcohol and other drug use by
school-aged children
NORTH METROPOLITAN EDUCATION DISTRICT
Secondary Deputy Principals’ Meeting
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
By the end of the session
• Provide some data about alcohol and other drug use by secondary school-aged
children
• Factors influencing drinking behaviour of secondary school-aged children
• Brief overview of the nature and extent of amphetamine use in the WA community
• Brief overview of the new psychoactive substances
• Questions and discussion
Tobacco
Figure 1: Prevalence and recency of alcohol use, 1993 - 2011
Alcohol and Young People
Amphetamines in the Community
• Media attention is not happening in isolation here in WA, and is occurring in all
jurisdictions across Australia.
• WA continues to have the highest level of amphetamine-type stimulant use in
Australia. (Use in previous 12 mos: 6% in 1998; 3.4% in 2010; 3.8% in 2013)
• Of people who are reporting amphetamine-type stimulant use the most recent
available data shows:
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There has been a significant move to using the crystal or ice form of methamphetamine.
These people also report using more frequently.
Law enforcement seizures indicate that the methamphetamine being seized is of a more
potent form, this coupled with the fact that the people who are using are doing so more
frequently, is resulting in an increase in harm.
Can expect to see people experiencing more harms if they are using a more potent
methamphetamine, and they are using it more often.
• The age of initiation has been increasing nationally – so older when people starting
to use.
• Mean age of use is older
Amphetamines (cont)
Metro versus Non-metro
• The perception that amphetamine-type stimulants is a bigger problem in country
towns is not supported by national data.
• Less report use.
• The rate of amphetamine-type stimulant related hospitalisation is also higher in
metropolitan areas compared to non-metro areas.
• In small communities where there is low or no previous use, a small increase in
users experiencing problems may become very noticeable.
• There may be some regional pockets of significantly higher use. Data in these areas
are unreliable and specific local trends are difficult to determine.
Amphetamines (cont)
• Encouraged by the lack of uptake by the majority of young people. One of the
objectives of education efforts is to prevent and delay onset of use.
• The harm seems to be occurring amongst the regular users. Effort with this group
has been to raise awareness about the problems with use and encourage people to
stop or seek help through treatment services.
• Habitual or regular users are far more defensive of their behaviours, and less
accepting of the risks associated with use.
• For this group will need to reinforce credible and believable information about the
harms and encourage access to treatment and support services.
• Targeted messaging on how to stop using and how to access support to do so will
also be important.
• The messaging will also need to de-stigmatise the accessing of treatment because
there are issues around this.
Effects of Use
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS
LONG-TERM EFFECTS
OVERDOSE CAN CAUSE
Increased blood pressure,
breathing and pulse-rates
Malnutrition
Strokes
Anxiety, irritability, suspiciousness,
panic attacks and behaving in a
threatening manner
Reduced resistance
to infection
Heart failure
Increased energy, alertness,
confidence and talkativeness
Violent behaviour
Seizures
Reduced appetite, inability to sleep
and enlarged pupils
Emotional disturbances
Death
Periods of psychosis
Tolerance
What are emerging psychoactive
substances?
• EPS often mimic the effects of existing illicit psychoactive drugs such as cannabis,
ecstasy (MDMA) and LSD, or have a chemical structure very similar to existing illicit
substances.
• Other names given to this group of drugs include: research chemicals, analogues,
legal highs, herbal highs, bath salts, party pills and synthetic drugs. The latter term
derives from the fact that EPS are usually man-made and not plant-derived
substances like cannabis or heroin. However this can be confusing as substances
such as LSD and ecstasy are also artificially-manufactured and have been around
for decades.
• An EPS may consist of one or more ingredients. Many EPS are sold under brand
names and in packaging that give no indication of their contents.
Effects of Use
Little is currently known about the short and long term effects of emerging
psychoactive substances. Research to date suggests side effects may include:
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Aggressive behaviour
Anxiety
Confusion
Dehydration and overheating
Dizziness and headaches
Feelings of excitement or euphoria
Twitches and tremors
Unpleasant after-effects (‘bad
comedown’)
Visual distortions or hallucinations
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Increased alertness/arousal
Increased energy
Insomnia
Involuntary jaw clenching and teeth
grinding
Overdose (especially when EPS are
mixed with alcohol or other drugs)
Psychosis
Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Stomach pains, nausea and/or
vomiting
Portrayal of NPS by the media
NPS - The WA Approach
Guiding Principles
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Precautionary approach
Responses based on available information
Avoid unintended consequences
Harm minimisation pillars of demand, supply and harm reduction
Coordinated and consensus-based approach
Acting in a timely way
Preference for National consistency
NPS - The WA Approach
What has been done?
• EPS Monitoring System. Police reports, anecdotal feedback from EDs, user
networks, seizures, international and national reports
• Harms assessment process
• Regulatory controls
• Poisons Act and Misuse of Drugs Act (and analogue provisions)
• Consumer Protection
• Customs
• Public education
• Enforcement focussed on supply
• Pushed for nationally coordinated response
NPS - Nationally
What’s happening?
• Schedule 9 listing of substances of the Australian Standard for the Uniform
Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP)
• Recent use of Australian Consumer Law to temporarily restrict sales of listed
products. Primarily to cover NSW, who subsequently introduced law that aligned
with the SUSMP S9 substances.
• A broad precautionary psychoactive substance control scheme reversing onus-ofproof; unregulated psychoactive substances must be approved for sale
• Law prohibits the manufacture, marketing, sale, import and export of a
substance promoted for its psychoactive effects. Specifically excludes
products otherwise approved
• Complementing national and state laws (NSW, SA and Nationally; WA drafting)
NPS - Nationally
ADIS PDIS Drug Aware - drugaware.com.au
Alcohol Think Again - alcoholthinkagain.com.au
Thank you and any questions