ALCOHOL AND DRUGS

Whether we like it or not alcohol and drugs are behind most of the crime in NZ today. Some estimates are that 80% of crime can be put down to alcohol and other drugs. When I recently had a conversation with a Police community constable he stated that if alcohol was taken out of society much of the crime he deals with would disappear - domestic violence, violence in general, traffic accidents, stupid acts and so on. Today I listened to a lecture given to a bunch of young people on a Limited Volunteer Scheme at Trentham Camp. It was delivered by a person from Well Trust and I must say it was very informative and highlighted the destructive nature of drugs especially alcohol and cannabis. Yes, "P", heroin, cocaine, tobacco etc are bad, but the ready availability of alcohol and the supposed harmlessness of cannabis makes them more dangerous and destructive.

The presenter introduced these young people to how alcohol affects the brain and alters the behaviour in people. He emphasised the incredible danger that alcohol has on the unborn child as a woman goes through her pregancy. His cost estimates on the damage that alcohol causes was $6 billion dollars per year. I know that from my time in the Army, 37 years, many in command appointments, alcohol was the cause of 90% of the incidents that threatened the Army's reputation. When the operation area was "dry" very few disciplinary incidents occurred. So from a health, economic and management perspective perhaps those, who are advocating for an increase in the age that alcohol can be accessed, should be listened to more closely. I supported the lowering of the age when it occurred but now believe the information available means that this decision to lower the age should be reconsidered with the view to tightening access to alcohol. I do think we should be asking ourselves the question; Are we so inadequate as individuals and a society that we need alcohol to enjoy ourselves?

The presenter then got onto cannabis and the very destructive nature of this drug on people under 25, that is, before the brain is fully developed. Regular long term use, that is, over 5 years, means that the brain is unable to recover from the damage cannabis causes. The fact that it stays in the system for upto 5 to 6 weeks and is absorbed into fat cells in the brains, provides a greater opportunity for more damage. Nearly 90% of those in prison have a drug problem of some discription. Predominately this is cannabis, a drug that many inmates have been using for years.

The presentation was not aimed at scaring the young people but to inform them of the dangers so that they could make informed decisions about their futures. These young people, all of whom were unemployed prior to attending the course, were only in their second week of the course. I was impressed by their participation in the presentation in regards their questions and how they answered questions. I think the presentation by the Well Trust person should be absolutely compulsory in all schools. I think if young people were fully aware of the dangers of alcohol and cannabis, especially if used together, one may see some modification of behaviour. The recent, high publicity deaths of school pupils, certainly indicates this type of presentation is important.

Teachers and parents are not the best people to provide the message - an independent person will invariably be able to get the message across better because they are not the regular person warning them of dangers etc.