Today the Western Australian city of Perth hosts a conference on drug and alcohol issues, visited by government ministers from Australia and New Zealand. Mike Daube, director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute and the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth , says he hopes the ministers take a harder look at alcohol advertising and develop tougher policies to address the issue.

The Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, an important instrument in determining national policies and programs intended to reduce drug related harm in Australia, will address growing concerns about alcohol and drug consumption, particularly among young people.

Mike Daube, who is also professor of Health Policy at Curtin University, points at alcohol advertising as one of the main topics to tackle: ‘We are being almost drowned with alcohol advertising.’ He went on to say that as kids are being exposed to alcohol advertising and promotion, ‘it’s small wonder that we have young children now drinking to get drunk.’
It is the hope of professor Daube that the meeting will result in new strategies to combat drug and alcohol problems among young people. ‘We’re all concerned about drug abuse, we’re all massively concerned about drinking patterns among young people,’ he said. ‘Anything that brings ministers from all jurisdictions together to develop new strategies in these areas is a good thing.’

Source: abc.net.au (02/25-11)

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