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NEWS: 'Overreaction' to party drug use - Herald Sun June 23rd

Cowboy Mac

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at the VAADA Symposium today... link here

'Overreaction' to party drug use
June 23, 2003

AUSTRALIANS were overreacting to the use of so-called party drugs among young people, a drug expert said today.

David Crosbie, chief executive of the rehabilitation program, Odyssey Victoria, and a member of the Prime Minister's National Drug Council said alcohol caused more problems than party drugs in the community.

A keynote speaker at the Inaugural Victorian Party Drugs Symposium held in Melbourne today, he said drug initiatives should focus on providing better information to reduce the harm done by the drugs.

"It's an incredible over-reaction that adults start throwing their hands in the air and saying 'Isn't it horrible that kids are using these drugs?' as at the same they are going out and getting drunk on a Friday, Saturday night," he said.

"I think we need to keep it in perspective. Of course we need to do things to try and reduce the harm that the kids are experiencing but let's not say there's this huge drug epidemic that's capturing our kids.

"It is a problem we need to address but there's a small proportion of people using these drugs. Many are using them relatively safely and what we need to try to do is make it safer."

Natalie Russell from Ravesafe, a Victorian government-funded education program run at rave parties and clubs, agreed drug initiatives needed to change direction.

"Being told to 'just say no' is not going to work so we need to look at these peer education, harm reduction programs out there in the scene," she said.

She said party drug use was on the increase, with people as young as 16 taking part.

"Every weekend somewhere in Melbourne there's a club event, there's a rave event," she said.

"Every weekend in Melbourne hundreds of people are using ecstasy, speed and other amphetamines and party drugs.

"So it's definitely growing and there's more and more young people coming into the scene as well."

Last year's National Drug Household Study showed one in five 20- to 29-year olds had used party drugs, while seven per cent of teenagers had used the drugs.

AAP
 
Good article, nice to see someone write an article and actually know what they're talking about
"It's an incredible over-reaction that adults start throwing their hands in the air and saying 'Isn't it horrible that kids are using these drugs?' as at the same they are going out and getting drunk on a Friday, Saturday night,"
I totally agree with this. Good work Cowboy Mac :)
 
One in five between twenty and twenty-nine... interesting. It's the sort of figure that helps to refocus perspective when you're "in" the scene and it seems like it's closer to three out of four.
 
"It's an incredible over-reaction that adults start throwing their hands in the air and saying 'Isn't it horrible that kids are using these drugs?'

Reminds me of Reverend Lovejoy's wife off the Simpsons.. Oh won't somebody please think of the children!!
 
No recreational drugs are good for you but I don't think there's a problem with anything in moderation, it's just keeping it in moderation that's the problem.

I think a lot of trouble stems from soft drugs being grouped in with hard drugs. Then young people try softys and think "that's not that bad, oldies are full of shit" and treat hard drugs the same as stuff like pot.

I also read about some study (No references sorry) that found people busted and charged for pot move onto higher felonies more often than those that have never been charged. Suggesting that the stigma from being put through the criminal system does more harm turning someone to crime than smoking pot itself. Says a lot for decriminalisation.
 
Reacreational drugs can be good for you if, by using them as an outlet for fun or exploration, they improve your quality of life.

What is a soft drug and what is a hard drug? Separating recreational drugs into 2 arbitrary groups is only splitting what should be a united front (pro-choice) into 2. Divide and conquer.

They are all drugs and some require more respect than others. Pot was one of the worst I have ever had. For others, it isn't a problem.
 
Cowboy Mac said:
Many are using them relatively safely and what we need to try to do is make it safer."

It is so good to see a sensible approach to drug policy. It really gets me when someone preaches a tough stance on drugs. Unfortunately the law makers (the politicians) are locked up in the office all day, and make laws detached from reality. I'm glad that some some people accept that making something illegal will not make it disappear. If they all understood that, but I am hoping for too much...
 
what an excellent article, i hope alot of people read it and re-thinked there stance on drugs.
 
"It's an incredible over-reaction that adults start throwing their hands in the air and saying 'Isn't it horrible that kids are using these drugs?' as at the same they are going out and getting drunk on a Friday, Saturday night," he said.

Nice work Mr Crosbie :)
 
It's interesting that this came from Oddessey, AFAIK they have alweays been very onservative in their attitudes to drugs, nice one!
 
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