Published Sunday, 26 November, 2006 at 12:00 AM
Minister for Health
The Honourable Stephen Robertson
QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT UNVEILS ICE-BREAKER STRATEGY: PREMIER
The State Government is stepping up its campaign against the illicit drug ‘ice’ to save young Queenslanders from addiction, Premier Peter Beattie announced today.
Mr Beattie said the Government’s ICE-Breaker Strategy will feature education, rehabilitation and drug law enforcement programs in the whole-of-government war against the drug.
The campaign will be driven by a new high-level taskforce which will report directly to Health Minister Stephen Robertson.
“Parents have lost their children to this drug, lives have been lost and thousands of users have inflicted serious damage to their mental and physical health as well as resorted to violent crime to feed their habit,” Mr Beattie said.
“My Government will do everything within our power to remove this highly addictive drug off our streets and discourage as many Queenslanders as possible from going anywhere near it.
“The ICE-Breaker Strategy will focus on the important areas of prevention, treatment and law enforcement.
“The taskforce will inform and guide the strategy and include experts from health, justice, ambulance, education and law enforcement authorities including the Crime and Misconduct Commission.”
Mr Beattie and Mr Robertson said the taskforce would be appointed within weeks and meet before the end of the year.
The ICE-Breaker Strategy will include:
• Development of a statewide education campaign targeting young people about the grave dangers of the drug. The campaign, preventing use and mitigating addiction, could feature warnings at tertiary education institutions and licensed premises and start as early as the beginning of next year;
• Urgent assessment of public and non-government drug treatment facilities and other interventions available across Queensland and determine special requirements to manage/break the amphetamine habit;
• Building on our already strong and sophisticated law and order approach to tackle the manufacture, dealing and possession of Ice in the community;
• Working with pharmacies to restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine medicines to those who have a genuine need, as required under new, tighter controls; and
• Working closely with General Practitioners to ensure appropriate prescribing of pseudoephedrine medicines.
Mr Beattie said national and State law enforcement agencies and health authorities all have an interest in combating illegal drugs, such as ice, with the new taskforce improving coordination and integration of the approach.
“It is about combining our strengths to tackle this problem head-on,” he said.
The new taskforce will also take on the investigation into how to ban illegal drug implements such as glass drug pipes.
“We as a community must do whatever we can and work together to fight this drug disease,” said the Premier.
Mr Robertson said Queensland Health established a pharmacy enforcement team recently and it would now come under the new ICE-Breaker Strategy.
“This team will work with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and Police to actively encourage pharmacists across the State to comply with new regulations coving Schedule 3 medicines and to use Project Stop, a web-based computer tracking system,” he said.
“Project Stop information is available to Queensland Health and Queensland Police.”
Mr Robertson said 81% of Queensland pharmacists were using Project Stop which had already directly led to 37 arrests and seven drug labs seized culminating in 260 drug-related charges since the beginning of this year.
“Queensland Health runs a network of services delivering drug treatment, including screening, assessment, detoxification, early and brief intervention and counselling,” he said.
“Of course a variety of private health professionals and non-government organisations also help drug users every day across the State.
“Reviewing rehabilitation and treatment services will give a comprehensive snapshot of what areas may be improved or changed.”
Mr Robertson said the ICE-Breaker Taskforce was an important step forward in the fight against the drug problem.
“Emergency departments, especially in South East Queensland, are reporting anecdotal evidence of increased public hospital staff abuse from patients under the influence of alcohol and drugs such as ice,” he said.
“In the past 12 months, Queensland Health’s services have provided 1,600 episodes of care for people with an amphetamine problem.”
Media Contacts: Premier’s Office 0400 767 490
Minister’s Office 0409 069 056
Mr Beattie said the Government’s ICE-Breaker Strategy will feature education, rehabilitation and drug law enforcement programs in the whole-of-government war against the drug.
The campaign will be driven by a new high-level taskforce which will report directly to Health Minister Stephen Robertson.
“Parents have lost their children to this drug, lives have been lost and thousands of users have inflicted serious damage to their mental and physical health as well as resorted to violent crime to feed their habit,” Mr Beattie said.
“My Government will do everything within our power to remove this highly addictive drug off our streets and discourage as many Queenslanders as possible from going anywhere near it.
“The ICE-Breaker Strategy will focus on the important areas of prevention, treatment and law enforcement.
“The taskforce will inform and guide the strategy and include experts from health, justice, ambulance, education and law enforcement authorities including the Crime and Misconduct Commission.”
Mr Beattie and Mr Robertson said the taskforce would be appointed within weeks and meet before the end of the year.
The ICE-Breaker Strategy will include:
• Development of a statewide education campaign targeting young people about the grave dangers of the drug. The campaign, preventing use and mitigating addiction, could feature warnings at tertiary education institutions and licensed premises and start as early as the beginning of next year;
• Urgent assessment of public and non-government drug treatment facilities and other interventions available across Queensland and determine special requirements to manage/break the amphetamine habit;
• Building on our already strong and sophisticated law and order approach to tackle the manufacture, dealing and possession of Ice in the community;
• Working with pharmacies to restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine medicines to those who have a genuine need, as required under new, tighter controls; and
• Working closely with General Practitioners to ensure appropriate prescribing of pseudoephedrine medicines.
Mr Beattie said national and State law enforcement agencies and health authorities all have an interest in combating illegal drugs, such as ice, with the new taskforce improving coordination and integration of the approach.
“It is about combining our strengths to tackle this problem head-on,” he said.
The new taskforce will also take on the investigation into how to ban illegal drug implements such as glass drug pipes.
“We as a community must do whatever we can and work together to fight this drug disease,” said the Premier.
Mr Robertson said Queensland Health established a pharmacy enforcement team recently and it would now come under the new ICE-Breaker Strategy.
“This team will work with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and Police to actively encourage pharmacists across the State to comply with new regulations coving Schedule 3 medicines and to use Project Stop, a web-based computer tracking system,” he said.
“Project Stop information is available to Queensland Health and Queensland Police.”
Mr Robertson said 81% of Queensland pharmacists were using Project Stop which had already directly led to 37 arrests and seven drug labs seized culminating in 260 drug-related charges since the beginning of this year.
“Queensland Health runs a network of services delivering drug treatment, including screening, assessment, detoxification, early and brief intervention and counselling,” he said.
“Of course a variety of private health professionals and non-government organisations also help drug users every day across the State.
“Reviewing rehabilitation and treatment services will give a comprehensive snapshot of what areas may be improved or changed.”
Mr Robertson said the ICE-Breaker Taskforce was an important step forward in the fight against the drug problem.
“Emergency departments, especially in South East Queensland, are reporting anecdotal evidence of increased public hospital staff abuse from patients under the influence of alcohol and drugs such as ice,” he said.
“In the past 12 months, Queensland Health’s services have provided 1,600 episodes of care for people with an amphetamine problem.”
Media Contacts: Premier’s Office 0400 767 490
Minister’s Office 0409 069 056