Eight years after Labor’s Drug Summit and their promise to tackle the problem, official figures show little has changed.

 

A Liberal Government proposes to act immediately to change government priorities in funding, treatment and education and provide a better way to deal with this growing social problem.

 

“Official federal government figures on the number of drug treatment episodes show a steady increase in cases from the year of Premier Rann’s election,” said Shadow Substance Abuse Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith.

 

“We have gone from 6699 drug treatment episodes per year to 8712; that’s a 30 per cent increase. ”

 

Launching the State Liberals policy on substance abuse Mr Hamilton-Smith said information from treatment agencies suggested the government was spending money in the wrong areas.

 

“We must get the balance right.

 

“We must provide incentives and deterrents at the appropriate place and time.

 

“We must understand who the victims are and who must be punished. There are those we must protect, help and rehabilitate and there are those who must face the full force of the law.

 

“A Liberal Government will work with the community to pre-empt drug use through education, reduce binge drinking and alcohol abuse, treat victims, stop illicit drug operations and deal with the criminal element.”

 

“Current funding and resourcing of drug treatment programs was inefficient resulting in increasing levels of alcohol and amphetamine use.

“The federal government figures speak for themselves. Labor has failed in its promise to tackle substance abuse.”

Outlining details of the Liberal policy Mr Hamilton-Smith said there would be a restructure of the way funds were allocated and accounted for.

 

“An effective drug strategy requires a holistic approach across a number of portfolios. To that end, there will be a “cabinet Action Group on Drugs” where the Ministers for Health, Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Police, Justice and Corrections will coordinate their policies and funding.

 

“Programs that are failing will be scrapped. Programs that are succeeding will be given improved resources. We will change the way the money moves around the system to ensure the right priorities are met.”

 

Mr Hamilton-Smith also announced a Youth Alcohol Abuse forum would be another early step in a Liberal Government’s approach.

 

“In SA alcohol has risen steadily as the most common principal drug of concern for treatment agencies; it’s gone from 42% in 2002 to 53% in 2008.

 

“We now have issues and problems of youth alcohol abuse that didn’t exist at such a level in the past.

“Parents are seeing their teenagers coming home from private parties in an awful state and feel helpless. These are cultural issues that need community debate and government action.

 

“We believe a combination of education, rehabilitation and law enforcement will provide a better response to these problems.

 

“The Rann government has failed on one of its core social promises. South Australians deserve better.”

 

Mr Hamilton-Smith said the Liberal’s policy also includes zero tolerance of drugs in prisons along with a commitment to more effort into addressing the drug problems of prisoners as they come into the corrections system.