IN the second instalment of our Community Action on Meth series, we look at education and the role it plays in drug prevention.
SCHOOLS, sporting clubs and the media are the main carriers that organisations are using to promote drug education.
Alcohol and Drug Foundation WA spokeswoman Sam Menezes said education using evidence-based messages was one of the biggest tools in drug prevention.
Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE
Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.
READ NOW“It has to be good quality, evidence-based education,” she said.
“We try to address the cause or harm before it starts.”
The foundation co-ordinates local Drug Action Teams around Australia, which put communities at the forefront of addressing alcohol and drug issues.
“It’s not a quick win, it is a long-term process,” Ms Menezes said.
“I think in WA we’re definitely making progress.”
Ms Menezes recommended schools use education provider School Drug Education and Road Aware, while sporting clubs can access the Tackling Illegal Drugs program, and believed media had an important role in delivering factual rather than sensationalist stories.
“It is a fact that the majority of meth users are not violent,” she said.
“You could be working with a meth user and not know it.”
MORE: Police release CCTV footage of boys wanted over Cockburn Gateway shopping centre fire
MORE: Pole position: Mullaloo couple annoyed by streetlight in their driveway
MORE: Maddington girl pleads guilty to stealing car involved in Como crash