National Drugs Roundtable 2001 Joint Communique

The National Drugs Roundtable - representing Australia's leading anti-tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs bodies - today challenges all major political parties at State and Federal levels to commit to increased funding to dramatically reduce drug deaths.

In 1997-98 the Federal Government collected more than $4 billion from tobacco and alcohol taxes but returned less than 1% of this to prevention and rehabilitation programs. It is estimated that the Federal Government today collects about $7 billion in alcohol and tobacco taxes and still returns only about 1% of this to prevention and rehabilitation programs. The Roundtable calls on the Commonwealth to commit a greater portion of this annual revenue to help reduce the death toll.

Drug and alcohol abuse costs 23,000 Australians their lives every year (about 20% of all deaths in Australia). It costs the community an estimated $19 billion a year in health care, property crime and loss of workplace productivity.

Tobacco is the number one killer. Alcohol-related cancer, cirrhosis and road accidents kill more than 3,000 people a year. Illicit drug deaths have more than doubled in the past six years.

The Federal Government must increase funding in the May 2001 Budget to expand national investment in prevention, treatment, education and research programs. Great benefits can be achieved for relatively small increases in funding.

This Roundtable also calls on all Australian governments to be more accountable and transparent on the amount of funding allocated to drug and alcohol programs and on the outcomes of these programs in both the government and non-government sectors.

CANBERRA

22 March 2001

Increased Federal Government funding in the May 2001 Budget and a commitment from all major political parties to a bi-partisan approach to reduce drug-related morbidity and mortality

Reducing drug and alcohol related deaths must be a priority for all major political parties.

The National Drugs Roundtable recommends that the Federal Government allocates an additional $186.6 million per year over four years ($746.4 million), substantially funded by new revenue measures worth $118.8 million per year over four years ($475.2 million), for a net cost of $67.8 million per year.

This Roundtable endorses strategies to reduce drug and alcohol related harm including increasing tax rates on alcohol and tobacco, introducing a volumetric alcohol beverage tax, reducing excise on low alcohol products and funding research into the reasons that children and youth use drugs.

The new spending would focus on prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, education and research programs including the following areas:

Tobacco - additional $100 million pa over four years (Cost neutral - matching revenue)

Alcohol - additional $18.8 million pa for programs (Cost neutral - matching revenue)

Illicit Drugs - additional $165 million over four years / $41.3m pa

National Indigenous Substance Misuse Strategy - $55 million over four years / $13.75m pa

Children, Young People and Families - additional $50 million over four years / $12.5m pa

In addition, there must be transparent increases in funding through Medicare and the Medicare agreements. Governments must account for the level and outcomes of funding.

Funding for tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug programs is not sufficient.

Drug abuse costs Australians almost $19 billion annually with tobacco accounting for the greatest proportion of that cost (67.3%) followed by alcohol (23.8%) and illicit drugs (8.9%). The economic costs of drug abuse are realised through health care costs, property crime, greater law enforcement activities, and loss of workplace productivity. Less tangible costs of drug abuse include disruption of family relationships and pain and suffering. As long as it is easier for drug users to find a dealer than to get help, Australia will continue to suffer great and growing problems from illicit drugs.

In the 1997/1998 financial year, the Federal Government received more than $4 billion in revenue from alcohol and tobacco taxes but returned only $36 million, or 0.9%, of that revenue to drug programs in that same year (It is now estimated that the Federal Government collects about $7 billion a year from tobacco and alcohol taxes). Since these 1997/98 figures were made public, it has not been clear how much of the Government's annual revenue is now being returned to drug and alcohol programs, but it appears to be about 1%.

In particular, tobacco control funding suffers disproportionately given that tobacco accounts for the greatest morbidity and mortality. Currently, revenue is around $260 per capita but expenditure (Federal and State) on tobacco policy is around 70 cents per capita.

Morbidity and mortality rates related to tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use are unacceptable

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2001), tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use in 1998 accounted for 23,313 deaths, an estimated 231,100 potential years of life lost (PYLL) and 200,000 hospital separations (admissions).

Tobacco

Tobacco use accounts for the greatest morbidity and mortality. Tobacco use:

 accounted for 19,019 deaths in 1998 of which the majority of tobacco-related deaths and hospital separations were from cancer, ischaemic heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;

 by recent, regular smokers (those who have smoked in the past 12 months) has remained constant between 1995 and 1998 at around 23%.

In 1998, approximately four million Australians aged 14 years or older were smokers.

Alcohol

Low to moderate levels of alcohol consumption can reduce certain types of heart disease and stroke; however, higher levels of alcohol consumption can cause disease and result in death.

Hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption:

 accounted for 3,271 deaths in 1998 with the majority of deaths and hospital separations associated with alcoholism and alcoholic liver cirrhosis, cancer, and road injuries;

 by recent, regular drinkers increased slightly between 1995 and 1998 from 44% to 48.6%.

In 1998, over 12 million Australians aged 14 years or over consumed alcohol (in the past 12 months).

Illicit

Illicit drug use:

 accounted for 1023 deaths in 1998 with the majority of deaths and hospital separations occurring from opiate dependence, abuse, or poisoning, and suicide;

 in the past 12 months, reported by a sample of the Australian population aged 14 years and over increased between 1995 and 1998 from 17% to 22%.

Deaths due to illicit drugs have increased between 1990 and 1997 from 54 per million to 92 per million. In 1998, approximately three million Australians aged 14 years or older were illicit drug users.

References

Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia. Federal Budget Submission 2001-2002. February 2001 Ash Australia (2001). Proposal for increased investment in the Australian National Tobacco Campaign. Submission to the Australian Treasury regarding the Federal Budget. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (1999). 1998 National Drug Strategy Household Survey: First results. AIHW cat. no. PHE 15. Canberra: AIHW (Drug Statistics Series). Australian Medical Association (2001). Federal Budget Submission. Collins DJ and Lapsley JM (1996). The social costs of drug abuse in Australia in 1988 and 1992. National Drug Strategy Monograph Series, number 30. Canberra: AGPS. Crosby D and McNiven C (1999). Drugs, money and governments 1997-1998. A Report by the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia, Canberra: ADCA. Higgins K, Cooper-Stanbury M, Williams P (2000). Statistics on drug use in Australia 1998. AIHW cat. no. PHE 16. Canberra: AIHW (Drug Statistics Series). Mathers C, Vos T, Stevenson C (1999). The burden of disease and injury in Australia - summary report. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra: AIHW. Ridolfo B and Stevenson C (2001). The quantification of drug-caused mortality and morbidity in Australia, 1998. AIHW cat. no. PHE 29, Canberra: AIHW (Drug Statistics Series no. 7). Scollo M (1999). Facts and figures about anti-smoking education spending. A Report Prepared for the Heart and Cancer Offensive Against Tobacco. Australia.