There should be more random breath tests in the ACT to curb the effects of alcohol, while cannabis criminal diversions should be expanded to all illegal drugs, according to the territory's peak body for the drug and alcohol sector.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The ACT Drug Strategy Action Plan was recently released for community feedback and highlighted 39 “priority actions” for the territory.
Among actions considered in the draft plan was raising the legal purchase age for tobacco, considering the need for additional smoke-free areas and looking at ways to reduce the promotion of drinking at sporting events.
In response to the draft strategy, peak body for the drug and alcohol sector ATODA made a range submissions covering illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
Among its recommendations was a call for more random drink driving testing and for the government and police to create a new target.
The submission said research and shown the intensity of testing in the ACT - an average of one test per three licensed drivers per year - was below that considered to be best practice, namely an average of one test per licensed driver per year.
"There is a widespread perception that RBT in Canberra is not implemented on a truly random basis," the submissions read.
"Rather, it is being implemented in a targeted manner, targeting particular locations, times of the day, days of the week, and driver populations.
"ACT Policing should be resourced adequately to keep up with the required volume of random breath testing to meet best practice, maximise the deterrent effect and maintain road safety. "
The government's draft action plan does not specifically call for more RBTs, instead saying the government will "continue work to reduce alcohol impaired driving".
ATODA's submission also calls on the government to extend the ACT's simple cannabis offence notice scheme to all illicit drugs, including MDMA, heroin and cocaine.
The scheme currently allows members of ACT Policing, when they detect a minor cannabis offence, to divert the offender away from the criminal justice system by issuing the notice which requires the person to pay a $100 fine.
If the fine is paid within the specified time period, the person does not have to attend court and does not attain a criminal record because of the offence.
ATODA submitted expanding it to all minor drug offences would help stem the increasing numbers of people arrested for minor drug offences.
"It would not entail any increase in funding; indeed, it could create significant savings in the criminal justice system," ATODA's submission said.
"A consequence of the high numbers of arrests for drugs other than cannabis is that very large numbers of Canberrans, particularly young people, are getting criminal records for what the community acknowledges as being minor offences.
"These criminal records work against their life opportunities for many years later.
"Substantial benefits would be gained by people who use drugs, their families, and the broader ACT community, if the [scheme's] provisions were expanded to cover all illicit drugs, not only cannabis.
"This would reflect the realities of drug use in the ACT, including the fact that a high proportion of the people who use drugs are poly-drug users."
ATODA has also called for the establishment of a new specialist structured outpatient withdrawal program for people dependent on alcohol and other drugs.
It said the ACT was the only jurisdiction in Australia that does not have such a program.
While ACT Health funded an independent review and systems level re-design of withdrawal management services in 2016, this report yet to be publicly released, according to ATODA.
"Outpatient withdrawal services are cheaper than bed-based withdrawal and can be as effective for some people without requiring an expensive inpatient admission," the submission said.
The final drug strategy is due to be released towards the end of 2018.
