Author Archives: James

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

I couldn’t think of a more worthy piece to pass on, from Australia’s FASD advocacy body:

Today 9/9/09 is the 10th Anniversary of International FASD Awareness Day – The 9/9 was first choosen because 9 is the number of months of pregnancy when alcohol consumption can cause permanent brian damage. .

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders is an umbrella term used to describe a range of adverse effects caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Partial FAS (PFAS), Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ARND) or Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD)

FASD is not a label – it is a medical condition and a serious lifelong disability. Prevention, diagnosis and intervention are critical public health issues that require a high degree of planned action at a policy and service delivery level in order to reduce harm.

While International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day is recognised throughout the world NOFASARD would like to reflect on the current situation in Australia:

– Children, adolescents and adults with FASD have multiple and complex needs that are currently not being met and this is resulting in poor life outcomes including social exclusion
– FASD rarely appears in Australian research or policy documents where it should be receiving attention.
– FASD does not appear on the government list of registered disabilities?
– There are no Australian Clinical Guidelines for diagnosing FASD and there are no Government funded specially trained interdisciplinary diagnostic teams.
– There is no Medicare number for rebate for the diagnosis of FASD
– Despite having very similar needs, individuals with FASD do not receive the same level of care and funding as those with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
– Individuals with FASD will be over-represented amongst those with drug and alcohol dependency issues yet most treatment programmes offered by service providers are not appropriate for this population.
– There is no national standard of care for individuals of any age with FASD – they are seldom treated effectively or fairly and they are seldom connected to service dollars.
– FASD is NOT just an Indigenous issue – FASD will be find wherever alcohol is part of the culture and exists across all social groups – the majority of individuals with FASD who are on NOFASARD’S data base are non-Indigenous.

Families with affected children have waited long enough – they are desperate and their children are suffering. Families are tired of their pleas falling on deaf ears and they are tired – they need action and they need it now.

– At a minimum there needs to be at least one specially trained interdisciplinary diagnostic team in each state of Australia
– Families want to see collaboration and a greater understanding of FASD in the education, disability, drug and alcohol, health, mental health and justice systems and they want these systems to work with them, instead of against them or separate from them.
– Families who have FASD want to be consulted – they have the benefit of the wisdom that comes from practice and they are the experts when it comes to knowing what are the current gaps and inadequacies in the systems and so if we are to have any chance of addressing the best interests of those who are directly impacted, there needs to be a government sponsored forum that enables wide consultation at the grass roots level.
– Families need policy makers to understand that their children with FASD don’t grow out of their disability as they get older – they grow up to be adults with FASD who will need targeted integrated support services throughout their whole life if they are to achieve any level of sustained function.
– Families need an immediate commitment from government to provide the same level of funding as has already been provided to support children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to enable children, adolescents and adults with FASD to have access to specifically targeted service delivery.
– FASD must be included under the Commonwealth list of registered disabilities so that families don’t have to continually fight for services from the education, health, disability, social service and justice sectors.

John Della Bosca: another angle

I noticed this letter from Tony Trimingham yesterday, which sums up perfectly the other side of politics: the part that actually makes a difference:

Whatever you think of Della Boscas personal indescretions I want to record my thanks and appreciation for all the good work he did as Special Minister of State and then Health Minister especially in regard to the problems of drugs and alcohol. Here was a man who took a deep personal interest in these issues and who was always open to listen to the concerns of those affected. No other Minister in this portfolio showed the same interest and concern as he did over his years involved. ‘He also made real and effectective changes. This is a loss that all my colleagues in the sector are now feeling. I also feel that at the moment he must be feeling friendless and isolated and just want him to know that many in the field are feeling sadness at his going in this way.

I tend to agree with the line former premier Bob Carr and many others took this week: a minister’s personal issues aren’t necessarily a hanging offence from a ministerial or policy perspective. That said, the NSW Labor government is so past its use-by date that nothing surprises anymore. Unless they parachute Barrie Unsworth into the premiership – then I’d be truly gobsmacked.

Why medical marijuana could be a good thing

I saw the piece reproduced below on the ADCA Update list, and it’s quite a comprehensive look at the opportunities medical marijuana provdes and deconstructs some of the misconceptions around the use of medical cannabis in the USA. It was originally published at the excellent MAPINC:

THE CASE FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

In a piece published [1] here last week, Rachel Ehrenfeld reports with dismay that the National Institute on Drug Abuse is presently soliciting proposals from contractors to grow marijuana for research and other purposes. Unfortunately, Ehrenfeld’s misunderstanding of this request for proposals is so monumental that one doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Ehrenfeld suggests that this is some sinister part of “ObamaCare.” “For the first time,” she writes, “the government is soliciting organizations that can grow marijuana on a ‘large scale,’ with the capability to ‘prepare marijuana cigarettes and related products … distribute marijuana, marijuana cigarettes and cannabinoids, and other related products’ not only for research, but also for ‘other government programs.'”

Ehrenfeld spends several paragraphs explaining how this is all the evil brainchild of George Soros, the pet villain of prohibitionists. After all, “Since when is the U.S. government in the business of distributing marijuana cigarettes?”

Since 1978, actually. The federal government has been distributing medical marijuana to a small group of patients for more than [2] three decades via a program known as an IND (for “investigational new drug”). This program has been covered in the media from [3] time to time, and still exists, although it was closed to new enrolment by President George H.W. Bush in 1992. It’s not exactly a state secret.

In addition, under present (thoroughly dysfunctional) rules, scientists doing clinical research on marijuana must obtain the marijuana for testing [4] from NIDA. Since the 1970s, the government has contracted with the University of Mississippi to produce marijuana for this purpose, and all expectations are that the university will get the contract again. In other words, there is nothing new here.

Having completely misconstrued NIDA’s request for proposals as something new and sinister, Ehrenfeld proceeds with a selective, wildly distorted description of research on medical marijuana, claiming, “The evidence about the harm caused by marijuana to the individual user and society is overwhelming.”

In fact, there is a wealth of research that documents marijuana’s medical [5] efficacy and safety, and a vast array of medical and public health organizations that have recognized marijuana’s [6] medical potential.

For the record, let’s consider a bit of what’s been said about medical marijuana by organizations that are presumably not part of the Evil Soros Conspiracy. Bear in mind that this is just a tiny sampling of the material that’s available from respected medical organizations.

. From the 124,000-member [7] American College of Physicians:

“Given marijuana’s proven efficacy at treating certain symptoms and its relatively low toxicity, reclassification [out of Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act] would reduce barriers to research and increase availability of cannabinoid drugs to patients who have failed to respond to other treatments. …

“Evidence not only supports the use of medical marijuana in certain conditions but also suggests numerous indications for cannabinoids.”

. From the [8] American Nurses Association:

“There is a growing body of evidence that marijuana has a significant margin of safety when used under a practitioner’s supervision when all of the patient’s medications can be considered in the therapeutic regimen. …

“There is significant research that demonstrates a connection between therapeutic use of marijuana/cannabis and symptom relief. The American Nurses Association actively supports patients’ rights to legally and safely access marijuana/cannabis for symptom management and to promote quality of life for patients needing such an alternative to conventional therapy.”

. From the Lymphoma Foundation of America, HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and others (in a [9] brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court):

“For certain persons the medical use of marijuana can literally mean the difference between life and death. At a minimum, marijuana provides some seriously ill patients the gift of relative health and the ability to function as productive members of society.”

And finally, from a study of smoked marijuana as a treatment for HIV-related nerve pain, published in the February 13, 2007, issue of the journal [10] Neurology:

“The first cannabis cigarette reduced chronic pain by a median of 72% vs. 15% with placebo … No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Smoked cannabis was well tolerated and effectively relieved chronic neuropathic pain from HIV-associated sensory neuropathy.”

Marijuana has been used as a medicine for some 5,000 years–maybe longer, actually, but written records only go back that far. In the world of scientific reality–not to be confused with the BizarroWorld inhabited by certain prohibition ideologues–it is both effective at treating a number of troubling symptoms and safer than the pharmaceuticals taken by millions of patients every day. Indeed, as a “recreational” substance it’s vastly safer than booze. But it’s much easier to imagine conspiracies run by billionaires with foreign-sounding names than it is to read and understand the actual research.

This article first appeared at forbes.com. Bruce Mirken, a longtime health writer, serves as director of communications for the [11] Marijuana Policy Project.

REFERENCES

1. http://drugsense.org/url/hrqFXWxS

2. http://drugsense.org/url/EmG1kbx7

3. http://drugsense.org/url/HE4Hi7XI

4. http://www.maps.org/sys/nq.pl?id=1921

5. http://www.mpp.org/assets/pdfs/library/MedConditionsHandout.pdf

6. http://www.mpp.org/library/medical-marijuana-overview.html

7. http://drugsense.org/url/RTJp0V7l

8. http://drugsense.org/url/sPuJf8tI

9. http://drugsense.org/url/bplTeMy6

10. http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/68/7/515

11. http://www.mpp.org/

What are your thoughts? It seems a fairly straight down the line treatise to me. It’s a shame this level of defense still needs to be put up against misinformation.

Alcopops tax finally passes

It’s unlikely you missed it, but this week saw thr Senate pass the legislation related to raising taxes on pre-mixed alcoholic beverages, commonly called ‘alcopops’ (I bet alcohol industry marketing people still lose sleep over what a double-edged sword that term has become). It’s hard to disagree with ADCA’s viewpoint :

Alcopop Tax – The first step to reforming harmful drinking

The Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) congratulates the Senate for passing the alcopop taxation legislation, but is calling for taxation reform to go even further.

“This issue has been delayed too long. There is no doubt that targeting these pre-mixed high-alcohol sweetened drinks is an important part of addressing issues of national binge drinking, ” ADCA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr David Templeman, said today.

“We appreciate the Rudd Government continuing to fight for this tax, given the evidence from the Australian Taxation Office showed since the new tax rate for Ready-To-Drink spirits (alcopops) has been in effect, total spirits consumed decreased by 8 per cent.” he added.

ADCA believes that the tax will discourage underage drinking and delay the onset of drinking by some young people. This is imperative given the 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey showed more than 20% of 14-19 year olds consume alcohol on a weekly basis and the risk of accidents, injuries, violence and self-harm are high among drinkers aged under 18.

“One of the recently revised alcohol guidelines specifically targets children and young people under 18 years of age – advising that NOT drinking alcohol is the safest option. We know that these alcopops are particularly attractive to young people, and so raising the tax level is part of addressing that problem,” he added.
Such a move also fits with the announcement in October 2008 by the National Preventative Health Taskforce Paper Australia: The Healthiest Country by 2020 setting a target to reduce the prevalence of harmful drinking for all Australians by 30%.

“The annual cost to the Australian community from harmful drinking is estimated to be almost $15.3 billion, and we have recognised there is a national health issue at stake here,” Mr Templeman said. “We must be prepared to legislate in order to create healthier communities and to give our young people every incentive not to get involved in harmful drinking patterns.”

ADCA as the national peak non-government (NGO) body representing the AOD sector, will continue to strive to engage with Government to deliver the National Binge Drinking Strategy and Preventative Health Taskforce priorities aimed at creating a healthier Australia. This will require significant investment in prevention and treatment.

“ADCA looks forward to seeing additional Government funding directed to short and long-term prevention measures in order to significantly reduce alcohol-related harm. This includes management of responsible drinking, product branding, outlet density, marketing and advertising, opening hours, alcohol awareness projects for communities, and most importantly, investment in standardised and consistent data collection to plan for the future.”

Mr Templeman said that statistical data supplied by the alcohol industry must be consistent across all States/ Territories. Accurate data collection had now been confirmed by the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs as a crucial element to properly understand and address alcohol-related harm.

The point raised over data collection is incredibly valid – the only excuse left for inferior data collection is a lack of will and funding across the government and non-government sectors to tackle the issue.

Jobs: Comorbidity Project Officer

S

ANDAS Comorbidity Project Officer

The SA Network of Drug and Alcohol Services (SANDAS) Comorbidity Project has recently been refunded by the Commonwealth Dept of Health and Ageing (DoHA) until May 2011. This extends the timeframe of the SA component of the nationwide co morbidity capacity building initiative in the AOD NGO sector and allows SANDAS to further support the development of services for our member organizations in line with the project objectives.

SANDAS seeks to employ a Project Officer to assist the Comorbidity Coordinator in meeting the agreed objectives of the project and the requirements under the approved project plan and service agreement.

The position requires a suitably qualified person with significant experience in the Alcohol and Other Drugs sector, the Mental Health sector, in project management or other relevant experience. The position is offered at a SACS Level 7 salary rate on a full-time basis for an initial period of at least 12 months which includes a 3 month probationary period. SANDAS has some flexibility to negotiate with the right person the range of hours and some other terms and conditions.

To obtain a job and person specification and/or to discuss the position, email Andrew Biven at andrew@sandas.org.au phone 8212 9020

SANDAS will be happy to receive expressions of interest in the position which will include your CV and a summary of your skills, experience and qualifications relevant to this position.

Closing date is Friday 14th August.

Applications by email to Andris Banders, Executive Officer eo@sandas.org.au

Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged by return email.

ADCA Strategic Plan now available

This document will guide ADCA’s work over the next 3.5 years. The new Strategic Plan has been developed in close consultation with the ADCA Board, State/ Territory AOD peak organisations, and Chairs of ADCA’s Working Groups.

Professor Robin Room, President of ADCA, has emphasised that ADCA, in order to be successful in its strategic approaches, will have to continually monitor its own operations, as well as the AOD sector and political development to ensure that it remains responsive to changing needs, and its actions are aligned with ADCA’s strategic direction.

To view the full document, visit http://www.adca.org.au/content/view/37/64/ and click on the link to view the strategic plan in Adobe Acrobat PDF.

International Program in Addiction Studies Program and IPAS scholarships

Applications for the International Program in Addiction Studies will close in a few weeks. The exciting online master of science program that is taught by The University of Adelaide, VCU and King’s College London will commence in August 2009.

For the first time, the program can also be taken as part-time over two years. Also six special IPAS scholarships will be available that pay 50% if the tuition. Apply now and make sure all your reference letters and original transcripts are received in Adelaide by July 15th. Let us know if you are preparing an application so we can help you. More information on: www.adelaide.edu.au/addiction.

Research Fellow – Addictions, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Research Fellow – Addictions
Clinical Trials Research Unit, University of Auckland, New Zealand

The Clinical Trials Research Unit is located within the School of Population Health at The University of Auckland Tamaki campus, Auckland, New Zealand. The Unit is focussed on innovative research aiming to reduce the major risks to health.

An opportunity is available for a Research Fellow to work in the Addictions Research Programme at the Clinical Trials Research Unit. The Addictions Programme is an energetic group of six staff working on research in the fields of tobacco, alcohol and other drug dependency.

The successful candidate will need to have a Masters degree or higher in public health, psychology, medicine or a related field. Ideally you will have a developing track record of initiating and delivering addiction-related research as evidenced by funding awards and publications.

The role involves working closely with the Programme Leader to develop and design new ideas, obtain funding, assist with research currently underway as well as set up and work on new research. You will need to be creative, innovative and a high achiever who is enthusiastic, an excellent communicator and someone who likes to work in a team environment.

The position is full time for two years. Depending on qualifications there is also an opportunity to study for a higher degree. The applicant must be personally committed to smoke-free and to a healthy lifestyle.

Please apply by sending your CV and covering letter to:
jobs@ctru.auckland.ac.nz by 17th June 2009.
For further information or a copy of the Job Description, please see www.ctru.auckland.ac.nz or contact the Operations Manager on the above email address.

New UK-based daily news service

The Daily Dose email news service for ATOD professionals has been around a lot of years, and it now has a competitor: DS Daily. It’s part of the independent, UK-based DrugScope:

We are launching the service both as part of our core commitment to the provision and dissemination of up to date information and in support of our role as a membership organisation for the sector.

We are also very pleased to announce that Jim Young, formerly Editor of Daily Dose, has joined our DS Daily team.

We are very keen to receive your comments about the new service which you can send to Jim at jimy@drugscope.org.uk

Drug Action Week 2009

It’s that time of year again:

Register now for Drug Action Week
28 May 2009

Final registrations are now being taken for Drug Action Week 2009 which runs from June 21-27 focussing on the theme Alcohol is a drug – TOO!

Drug Action Week is coordinated by the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA) and aims to highlight issues related to the harm caused by the misuse of alcohol and other drug issues, and to recognise those who work in frontline support services in the alcohol and other drugs sector.

Hundreds of activities have already been registered on the Drug Action Week website www.drugactionweek.org.au and promotional packs are being sent out across the nation to support events in local areas.

“We’ve had an enthusiastic response to this year’s Drug Action Week, and are pleased to see many creative activities organised to foster community debate about the harms that come from the misuse of alcohol and other drugs, “said ADCA Chief Executive Officer David Templeman.

Activity organisers are encouraged to register now, in order to take advantage of the free promotional packs. The website www.drugactionweek.org.au also has ideas for events, tips on organisation and community involvement, fact sheets and downloads which are all available free of charge.

Each day during Drug Action Week 09 will have a particular focus;
• Alcohol and Other Drugs in the Community (Monday June 22)
• Prevention and Treatment (Tuesday June 23)
• Indigenous People/Rural Australia (Wednesday June 24)
• Binge Drinking (Thursday June 25)
• Comorbidity (Friday June 26)

Drug Action Week 2009 begins Sunday, 21 June and concludes on Saturday, 27 June – incorporating the National Drug and Alcohol Awards (NDAA) at Parliament House in Canberra on Friday 26 June.
www.drugactionweek.org.au