I must say that I have to agree with much of this article. It seems that the reasons why our youth feel the need to take drugs is never addressed.

The sexualisation of young children is a significant issue because our youth is being pushed towards sex too young and they need drugs/alcohol in order to cope with what is being expected of them at such a young age. Our youth is not developing emotionally, psychologically and intellectually before they are being pushed to drugs and sex this messes with the body and mind.

Bulling and psychological abuse is a very significant issue for our children and it isn't limited to peers. Bullying and non-sexual abuse in Education by adults is rife and there is no system or process to have these grievances addressed in Australia, or it appears in other countries, so as to protect the children. http://www.stopbullyingnow.com/teachers%20who%20bully%20students%20McEvoy.pdf

The fact that the Education system protects and supports bullies and those who do wrong is quickly realised by students as it becomes obvious that it doesn't pay to be good.

If these children/students do not join in to the drug taking and carrying on they are ostrasized and made fun of and they get left to the side and nobody will give them the time of day and/or give a damn about how they are being treated. That is the environment that is available for our children to grow up in. Things need to change.

Education - Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/
Our children deserve better

NO WRONG DOOR is NOT a revolving door. The Australian system (in all areas) appears to be having major problems with things that squeak differently.

ZERO TOLERENCE does not help to PROBLEM SOLVE the issue's for people taking drugs (self-medicated or other wise)!

ZERO TOLERENCE means ZERO OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNICATE with authories, familys and friends about the key disturbances occuring in an individuals life when it comes to understanding what is happening to them in relation to their sense of "WELL-BEING" and their relationship to why they make take drugs.

I am heart felt to SEE this article. We (AUSTRALIA) need to do much more work in this area.

If we understand ourselves we will have more opportunity to help others... PEER-TO-PEER is a notion for building stronger Networks and PARTNERSHIPs.

TAKING THE TIME TO pro-actively LISTEN and to PRO_ACTIVELY ENGAGE.

INTER_RELATIONSHIPS at all GROUND LEVELS has never been more important to Australia's Future as is now.

Be it through our business networks, community networks or in our relationship to GOVERNMENTs everywhere.

SHAKE AWAY your FEARS. Grow HUMAN "with a "NO WRONG DOOR" awareness.

PUT "INCLUSIVENESS" as a first goal when putting our actual COMMUNITY SAFTEY FIRST!

FIGHT FOR MENTAL HEALTH - Norman Sartorius - Director of the Division of Mental Health at the World Health Organization, and President of the World Psychiatric Association. READ Norman Sartorius book advocating for greater equity and honesty.

Dr Norman Sartorius has asked the UN to call for a "Global Emergency on Mental Health"

Peer-to-Peer Support for consumers is to 'look at the phenomenon of mental health recovery'.

WHAT ARE WE DOING with our FOCUS AUSTRALIA?

Find more about A NO WRONG DOOR and PEER TO PEER RECOVERY on http://www.miacat.com/
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I too agree with the premise of this article. Drugs are, to a certain extent, a symptom of of problems within society.

Drugs are essentially a method of escapism, and so those with the most to escape will be the most likely to use drugs. It will be those with the greatest hardship, those without the support networks, that will be most outwardly affected by the drugs and hence wind up in the public eye in hospitals or in court. It's the observation of these people and the assumption that they are indicative of all users that leads to the association of drugs with crime, prostitution and poverty.

Although the solution to the drug problem may lie in dealing with the root issues, we should not understate (or overstate eg. "epidemic") the additional damage the drugs themselves inflict upon society. They significantly burden not just on the emergency health services, but the criminal justice system (both directly and indirectly), the education system and cost the economy through lost productivity. Aside from the biochemical impact, drugs (as with any philosophy of escapism) will lead to the use-causing problems being neglected and causing them to become amplified, leading to a positive feed back loop of heavier usage and bigger problems.

One thing I have never understood with a zero tolerance approach is the rational of allowing drugs such as alcohol, tobacco and caffeine to be so prevalent in society, especially given the damage they can cause.

One of the big reasons young people take drugs is because of peer group pressure. What are you going to do about that? Zero tolerance by the police and the courts is a good way of stopping my child being presented with drugs everytime they walk out the door. If the users and petty dealers had genuine fear of being arrested the less chance there is of my child being exposed to drugs.

I tend to agree that society is responsible for alot of the problems which lead to drug-taking. The society that has been produced by 40 years of rights with no responsibilities, hand-wringing, blame-shifting victim mentality has a lot to answer for.

I think the author can relax. The zero tolerance is a myth. Everyone know that our judicial system is as weak as water. Whether you rape, push drugs or drive drunk you will find a judge sympathetic to the criminal. The only person not thought of is the mums and dads who lose their kids to these drug pushers. The ads spoken of actually under emphasize the pain felt by victims of crime.

Very good article and posts.

Unfortunately, at one point, Kathryn did seem to imply that 'zero tolerance', in some guise, is acceptable:

"I do not want this to be confused with a counter argument of why one should not postulate a stance against drugs or why one shouldn’t apply zero tolerance."

I believe that this is an unnecessary concession.

For my own part, I have no time for any drugs (except for all the usual legal recreational drugs: caffeine, occasionaly, alcohol, and, if it weren't so addictive, nicotine), however, a good many friends and acquaintances, who are well-meaning, decent worthy members of this society, do consume illegal recreational drugs without causing harm to others.

It is wrong that these people stand to be imprisoned, be marked with criminal records and have their careers and personal lives ruined because of laws against their use of these subststances.

I don't like the fact that they take drugs, or at least drugs known to be physically or psychologically harmful, and I think we should do what we can to dissuade them from using those substances through factual reasoned argument, but not through hysteria or criminalising their behaviour.

If adults, who are made aware of the enjoymnt and benefits that drugs can bring, as well as the harm that they can cause, nevetheless choose to use them, then that should be their choice alone and we should not cast judgement on them for having made that choice, that is, unless it causes them to harm others.

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Some good material about drug harm-redution can be found on the web site of the Canberra-based group, Friends and Families for Drug Law Reform at http://www.ffdlr.org.au