Depts urged to intensity drive against drugs

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32637, 19 June 1971, Page 18

Depts urged to intensity drive against drugs

The ' Education and Justice departments must intensify their drive against drug abuses if New Zealand was to avoid increased drug - taking among young people at a rate as fast or faster than in the United States, said Dr C. E, Cottrill, of Takapuna, speaking at the annual conference of the New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association in Christchurch yesterday.

“As chiropractors, most of us have studied in the United States or Canada, and we are more aware than most of the addiction increases in these countries in recent years,” said Dr Cottrill. “We are sure that a similar situation could develop

in New Zealand at an even faster rate than in the United States in New Zealand high schools and intermediate schools.

“In the last 20 months, I have come into contact with four tragic cases of drug addiction in Auckland which as a chiropractor I would not normally expect to find within my scope,” he said. At one private school alone three girls, all aged 14, were found to have heroin in their possession—and he also knew of cases of Pethadrine being used by pupils in Auckland intermediate schools.

"At present, New Zealand social workers view drug problems as minor to alcoholism, road fatalities, and pollution; but if the present rate of addiction in New Zealand continues, all of us, in five to 10 years will know of someone in this country who is addicted to drugs,” Dr Cottrill said.

“In Vancouver, as recently as 1956, about one in 10 of about 50,000 persons were registered drug addicts. Yet here in New Zealand, society does not recognise the drug menace, and appears to be in danger of doing so only when it has become too late,” he said. "It is a sad fact to have to face in our type of community that only in Communist countries have they managed to properly control the drug problem,” he said. In communities such as ours, the main incentive in the process of spreading drug use is the motive of monetary gain. “I regret to have to say that at present it appears we are losing the drug battle in New Zealand, and must continue to do so unless everybody in the community becomes active in fighting it.” s As a means of combating drugs, Dr Cottrill advocated

the showing by the Education Department of anti-drug films as part of a regular programme of education at intermediate school level, and above.

“The British Army is educating all soldiers regularly against the use of drugs by the routine showing of tragic films about drug addiction. These films are shown to all every three months," Dr Cottrill said.

It was essential in New Zealand for the Education Department to “get into the act” in fighting the drug problem rather than leaving it to the police to give talks to schools.

“The police are well aware that the Justice and Education Departments should help them in every way they can to fight this abuse.

“I feel convinced that this should be the Education Department’s policy officially. It is useless to tackle the problem among youth at university level when by then a percentage of them are likely to become addicts . . . which surely reflects the failure of the educational system,” Dr Cottrill said.

The Chiropractors' Association unanimously approved a resolution "expressing publicly to the Health Department and the Justice Department its increasing concern at the growing incidence of hard-drug abuse which we notice in our communty.” The association also resolved to "recommend that the pehalities for drug-pushing be increased to such an extent that they are a vigorous deterrent to outside suppliers and to pushers of drugs.”