Coroner muddled, says drug chief

"Muddled thinking" is behind a coroner's criticism of New Zealand's approach to drug policy and education, says the Drug Foundation.

Wellington coroner Garry Evans called on the Government to develop a national public education campaign - on the scale of anti-smoking and drink-driving advertising - to stop young people using drugs, after six youths died inhaling solvents.

In releasing his findings into the six deaths, Mr Evans said New Zealand had no sustained and effective health education programme aimed at the prevention of drug-taking.

"There is a need for a paradigmal shift in consciousness and approach towards a societal problem that constitutes a major blight on young lives and is reaching crisis proportions," he said.

The present focus of drug education was on harm minimisation - reducing any harm arising from drug use without necessarily eliminating use.

Mr Evans said that focus had limited effectiveness in reducing rampant drug abuse and the emphasis must change to one of harm prevention, which teaches young people about the dangers of drugs.

But Drug Foundation chief executive Ross Bell said Mr Evans had ignored best practice and a wealth of international evidence in his criticism of the harm minimisation approach.

It was disappointing that this emotive issue would be manipulated through misinformation to undermine existing efforts to dealing with young people and drug issues.

"The criticism of harm minimisation is an argument based on rhetoric and not on evidence, and is wrong in a number of ways," Mr Bell said.

"Harm minimisation is recognised internationally as the most effective and comprehensive way of tackling drug-related harm to individuals, their families and the community.

"Harm minimisation advocates that people not use drugs at all, and is very clear about the significantly increased risk for young people."

Mr Bell said there were parallels between the attacks on harm minimisation and the rhetoric that surrounded the United States' "war on drugs".

"The drug-war approach has seen drug use rise significantly for 20 years in the US, while it locks away more citizens than any other developed nation.

"New Zealand per capita sits second in that statistic - we need policies that ensure we at least rise no higher."

He also questioned if the coroner's recommendations could be backed by his findings into the six young people's deaths.

"Mr Evans has drawn a very long bow by recommending a major overhaul of New Zealand's drug policy and education based on the findings of six tragic deaths from gas inhaling."

Mr Bell said the coroner's call for a national drug education campaign ignored the evidence about how to most effectively deal with inhalant abuse, which warned against publicising the issue because it could lead to more abuse.

- NZPA