Melbourne’s longest-running drug safety outreach program, North West Outreach Services, has issued a warning to state politicians facing an election in November – they should talk with young people, not about them, if they’re considering jumping on the illicit drugs campaign bandwagon.
The service is one arm of Glenroy-based Youth Projects, whose chief executive Melanie Raymond said community-based partnerships would be the key to finding real solutions that reduce addiction to “ice”.
“We need to make sure we talk to young people, not about young people,” she said.
“Organisations that engage with young people most at risk and have a relationship of trust will be key.”
Ms Raymond urged councils to form partnerships to deal with ice use as a local health issue.
She warned that a law enforcement emphasis on the problem ran the risk of only addressing the problem after the fact, while focusing on delivering campaigns through schools placed extra responsibilities on already overloaded teachers.
“We need to prevent people going down the path of meth use in the first place,” Ms Raymond said.
“One of the best ways to do this is to talk with people about the messaging that will work.
“Young people are savvy. An honest message they can relate to is what works.”
Ms Raymond said an emphasis on driving-on-drugs education was urgently needed as there would soon be greater drug- laws enforcement on the state roads.
A “hard-hitting” regional television, radio, cinema, newspaper, street poster and online campaign featuring the slogan “What are you doing on ice?” will go to air this week.
The ad campaign was launched by the state government in the face of upward-spiralling crime statistics that point to ice as a highly addictive scourge among social drug users.
Victorian Crime Prevention Minister Edward O’Donohue said a re-elected Coalition government would allocate $2 million to community organisations working to fight the state’s ice epidemic.
Labor had already announced $500,000 in funding and an ice action taskforce, including representatives of government, Victoria Police, health services, mental health services, drug and alcohol support services, education experts and the courts.
The ALP has also promised an ice action plan in the first 100 days of a Labor government.
