Minister denies drug crisis as overdoses soar 19%
12:00a.m. 21 November 2007
Jane Gardner
Police minister Judy Spence has denied that drug use is out of control on the Sunshine Coast despite damning new figures which reveal ambulance call-outs to overdoses jumped 19% in the last year.
Figures from the office of emergency services show there were 238 more drug overdose patients for the North Coast Region – a total of 1479 in the 2006-07 period compared to 1241 in 2005-06.
Across the state, call-outs to drug overdoses jumped 13% in the last year, from 9907 to 11,214.
Opposition emergency services spokesman Ted Malone said the numbers were proof the Bligh government had not dedicated enough resources to preventing illicit drug use.
“All regions show a very worrying increase, highlighting the need for the Bligh government to stop pretending and start tackling the soaring use of illicit drugs,” Mr Malone said.
“Dealing with drug overdoses is difficult and very time-consuming for ambulance officers and the big jump in call-outs for overdoses is clearly putting extra pressure on our already seriously stretched ambulance service.
“This should be a loud wake-up call to the Bligh government and particularly police minister Judy Spence that their soft-on-drugs policies are not working and are leaving our frontline services like police, ambulances and hospitals to clean up the mess.”
Ms Spence said drug use was increasing across the country, not just in Queensland, and that it was foolish of the opposition to say law and order was the only way to tackle the problem.
“We have taken up the challenge of combating the causes as well as the effects of illicit drug use,” she said.
“To suggest the issue of drug use can be improved by simply toughening law and order responses shows a complete lack of understanding of the complexity of the issue.
“If the opposition claims to have a solution to the drug problem, we’d love them to bring forward their ideas – but I suspect that, while they are quick to criticise, they have nothing constructive to add on this important community issue.”
A spokesman for emergency services minister Neil Roberts said the figures reflected a growing population and was not necessarily an indication that drug use was on the rise.
“The number of cases which are drug-related compared to the total number of responses the Queensland Ambulance Service made last year is only about 1.3%,” he said.
“The QAS responded to 815,000 calls, so the number of drug-related calls was actually a very small percentage of that number.”
Mr Roberts said the government had not neglected funding.
“We now have a record budget of $404 million and we work with other government agencies and non-government agencies on the issue of drugs and can refer patients to support agencies like Teen Challenge, instead of diverting people to the criminal justice system.”
He said the figures might not be representative of the real number of patients because they were based on the paramedics’ primary assessment of the patient and not on toxicology reports.
The south-west corner of the state had the highest incidence of drug overdose victims.
The number collected by ambulance in Gatton, Toowoomba, Warwick, Stanthorpe and Charleville rose by 30%, from 444 in the 2005/06 period to 576 for 2006/07.
A recent Australian Crime Commission report found Queensland police located 161 drug labs in 2005-06, and more than 32,000 people were arrested for drug offences.
The State Drug Investigation Unit is made up of 59 sworn officers and 15 specialist personnel including intelligence analysts and financial investigators working for this unit.
Police minister Judy Spence said they had taken a creative approach to tackling drug use.
“We have given police new powers, allowing officers to go into clubs and pubs with drug detection dogs,” she said.
“We are also working to address the problems that turn someone using drugs, minimise the damage to them and the community and raise awareness.”
