Giving it a BERL Beating the breathalyser Individual or industry responsibility? What a mess in Mexico August 2009 Alcohol in our lives With stage one of its liquor review complete, the Law Commission has released a discussion paper outlining New Zealand’s alcohol problems and posing key questions for public debate. But just how much can we rely on law to change our drinking culture? Contents matters of substance August 2009 Features Vol 19 No 3 ISSN 1177-200X 02 Cover Story 20 Mythbusters 41 Mythbusters matters of substance is published by the Alcohol in our lives Busting alcohol Blown away: Defeating NZ Drug Foundation. All rights reserved. Travelling to a better place policy myths the breathalyser Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced without prior We take a look at various permission of the NZ Drug Foundation. theories on how to mask your alcoholic breath when matters of substance invites feedback you’re asked to blow in and contributions. If you’re interested in contributing a guest editorial or article, the bag. please first contact us: [email protected] p +64 4 801 6303 News The Law Commission has In this Mythbusters special, Brand development/graphic design 01 Key Events and Dates Origin Design +64 4 801 6644 spent the last year gathering we counter some of the [email protected] information about the current myths about alcohol What’s on for AOD workers www.origindesign.co.nz extent of New Zealand’s policy, by seeing what the from now till the end of alcohol problems. Stage one evidence really says. the year. NZ Drug Foundation of its liquor review is now 3rd Floor, 111 Dixon Street 31 New Zealand News PO Box 3082, Wellington, New Zealand complete, and it’s time for 25 Making sense of Mexico’s p +64 4 801 6303 public debate on potential drug wars solutions. When you have finished with Counting the cost: The this magazine, please recycle it. BERL report has put the social cost of alcohol and drug misuse at nearly Become a member $7b per annum, but there NZPA/Andrew Labett NZPA/Andrew The NZ Drug Foundation has been are those who say the at the heart of major alcohol and report has got things What’s been happening other drug policy debates for over terribly wrong. Sanji Gunesekara writes about in local news, from rollies 20 years. During that time, we have Tackling sport’s alcohol the political, economic and and research through to demonstrated a strong commitment culture: New Zealanders social background to Mexico’s medicinal marijuana. to advocating policies and practices play hard, and all too violent and bloody drug wars. based on the best evidence available. World News often they drink hard. 36 Can anything be done You can help us. A key strength of the Regulars NZ Drug Foundation lies in its diverse to mend our boozy membership base. As a member of the sporting ways? NZ Drug Foundation, you will receive It’s our loss: 01 The Director’s Cut information about major alcohol and The Law Commission’s liquor other drug policy challenges. You can also Lianne Dalziel on what get involved in our work to find solutions the Liquor Licensing review presents a wonderful to those challenges. Authority said about opportunity for constructive loss-leading debate. It’s time for Our membership includes health New Zealand to get talking. Binary highs, Aussie rugby promoters, primary health and 17 Opinion league fairies, and nice community organisations, researchers, Guest Editorial people taking drugs. students, schools and boards of trustees, It’s time for the facts to get 23 policy makers, and addiction treatment in the way of a good story Let’s offer treatment! These stories and more agencies and workers. Michael Bird challenges are covered here. the treatment sector to Membership and subscription enquiries Quotes of Substance stop its navel gazing and [email protected] People keep saying stuff or visit our website. start moving forward. He presents a 12-point plan about drugs. Some of it’s to get things underway. sensible, some of it’s silly www.drugfoundation.org.nz and some of it’s just 29 Research Update plain strange. Liz Read, Corporate Affairs Driving High: Findings from Director of Lion Nathan, the Great New Zealand says it’s wrong to blame Drug-Driving Survey the alcohol industry for The results are in. What do New Zealand’s binge Kiwis think they know about drinking woes. drugs and driving? matters of substance August 09 www.drugfoundation.org.nz The Director’s Cut Key Events and Dates Research and Values: Australian Drugs Conference The underpinnings of 1–2 October, Melbourne, Australia public health practice The Australian Drugs Conference – 1–4 September, Dunedin Drugs in Hard Times – will look at The annual Public Health Association the effects of tough economic conference. conditions with a focus on the www.pha.org.nz current drug policy climate and our ability to save lives and build resilience. National Cannabis Conference 7–8 September, Sydney, Australia www.australiandrugsconference. org.au The stakes are high across the solutions to fix our shameful The National Cannabis Prevention board as a result of the Law drinking culture. and Information Centre will be Commission’s liquor review. The industry (broadly convening the first Australian Oceania Tobacco Control 09 For the producers and sellers defined) needs to end its National Cannabis Conference 4–7 October, Darwin, Australia of alcohol, there’s the pressing mischief making; its commodity in 2009. Hosted by Cancer Council Northern need to protect their bottom www.ncpic.org.au Territory, the conference theme is of trade is not an ordinary one ‘Reducing Inequality through line; for society, there’s the and cannot be treated as such. Tobacco Control’. This is the peak SPINZ Symposium urgent need to reverse an Supermarkets cannot expect to tobacco control conference, 10–11 September, Wellington increasingly dangerous drinking be given the right to sell spirits. attracting delegates from Australia, culture; for politicians, there’s Producers must show greater The SPINZ Symposium coincides New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. with World Suicide Prevention Day an important opportunity to www.oceaniatc2009.org responsibility about the types on 10 September. This year’s theme step up and show leadership of products they make and is ‘Culture and Suicide Prevention in a contentious and complex how they are marketed. in Aotearoa’. It has been chosen Alcohol Interlock Symposium debate. The hospitality sector needs because, though suicide rates among 25–28 October, Melbourne, This review is a fantastic to shut up about ‘nanny state Mäori have declined, they have not Australia chance for New Zealand to interventionism’ and get on matched downward trends in the The theme for the event is ‘Knowledge Transfer: Taking Research advance towards better law with demonstrating good general population. and regulation over its most www.spinz.org.nz to Practice’ to encourage and hosting practice. support the implementation of popular but damaging drug. Public health advocates – evidence-based practices. 2009 Cutting Edge: Most of us agree the who are confident about the Our place, our future www.interlocksymposium.com liberalisation of liquor laws evidence around effective law over the last 20 years hasn’t 10–12 September, Wellington and regulation (and I count APSAD 2009 Conference quite worked out as planned. The annual New Zealand addiction the Drug Foundation in this 1–4 November, Darwin, Australia In fact, the architect of current treatment sector conference. group) – have a responsibility The Australian Professional Society laws, Sir Geoffrey Palmer www.cmsl.co.nz to clearly articulate this to the on Alcohol and other Drugs (then Minister of Justice, community. Yes, we should conference promotes the use of now president of the Law Australasian HIV/AIDS best practice approaches in the raise awareness of the health Commission) said exactly that Conference prevention, early intervention and and social harms from 9–12 September, Brisbane, Australia to the recent ALAC conference: treatment of alcohol and other alcohol, but in a constructive The 21st Annual Conference for “Things did not turn out quite drug problems. not strident way. the Australasian Society for HIV www.apsadconference.com.au the way we thought in 1989.” Medicine will be held back to back Just as the designers of It’s true that laws and regulations cannot, in with the 2009 Australasian Sexual global prohibition didn’t Health Conference. The conference International Drug Policy anticipate the massive criminal themselves, change culture, brings together the range of Reform Conference black market, neither did the but they can go a long way disciplines involved in HIV 11–14 November, Albuquerque, New Mexico Laking Review reckon on the towards shaping attitudes management including basic science, and behaviours (witness clinical medicine, community This will be an international significant harms to young gathering of people who believe the people and the widespread the rising harms resulting programmes, education, epidemiology and many more. war on drugs is doing more harm social costs that would result from increased commercial www.hivaidsconference.com.au than good. The conference will from the Sale of Liquor Act liberalism). Changes proposed provide opportunities to learn and 1989. This does not excuse in the review will help discuss alternative drug policy Australian Therapeutic the additional liberalisation fast-track cultural change, options around the globe and Communities Association in 1999; the authors of those which is what has occurred strategise for reform. with tobacco (remember when Conference www.drugpolicyevent.org changes had clear evidence 14–16 September, Canberra, Australia you could smoke on planes?). of the harm of a liberalised The focus of the 2009 conference is Publicise your own event on our alcohol environment.