{"id":4549,"date":"2009-08-18T16:35:39","date_gmt":"2009-08-18T15:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=4549"},"modified":"2009-08-21T11:44:04","modified_gmt":"2009-08-21T10:44:04","slug":"cannabis-use-in-remote-indigenous-communities-in-australia-endemic-yet-neglected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2009\/08\/cannabis-use-in-remote-indigenous-communities-in-australia-endemic-yet-neglected\/","title":{"rendered":"Cannabis use in remote Indigenous communities in Australia: endemic yet neglected"},"content":{"rendered":"

The effects of cannabis use on health and social adjustment are profound.
\nSubstance misuse by Indigenous people has long been recognised
\nas one of the devastating consequences of contact with
\nWestern culture. Misuse of tobacco, alcohol and petrol
\namong Indigenous Australians has received much attention. Cannabis,
\nby contrast, has not been viewed as a major problem. But
\nsince the 1990s, it has become apparent that heavy cannabis use is
\ncommon in some remote Indigenous communities.1 The associated
\nhealth and social burdens are now being recognised.
\nIndigenous Australians, whether living in urban or rural
\nsettings, are more likely than other Australians to report cannabis
\nuse. Recent reports suggest that cannabis use is also relatively
\nhigh among Indigenous populations in New Zealand, Canada
\nand North America. Limited data are available on patterns of
\ncannabis use among Indigenous Australians. However, a recent
\n5-year study of adolescents and young adults in three remote
\ncommunities in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory has
\nfound that not only is cannabis use common in remote Indigenous
\nsettings, but its effects on health and social adjustment are
\nprofound. These three communities are close to one another but very
\nisolated, being over 550 kilometres from the nearest city. There is
\none local Indigenous language, and English is a secondary language.
\nTobacco use was found to be the norm in these communities,
\nwith over 90% of adolescents and young adults smoking.
\nBecause of restricted access to alcohol, problem drinking was
\nuncommon. In contrast, cannabis use was endemic, with over
\n70% of males and 20% of females being current users. Cannabis
\nwas typically consumed mixed with tobacco and smoked using a
\nlocally fashioned \u201cbucket bong\u201d that gives the user a rapid and
\nintense dose with little smoke lost. Regular heavy use (_6
\n\u201ccones\u201d daily) was found in almost 90% of users. This is around
\ntwice the consumption of regular cannabis users elsewhere in
\nAustralia. Furthermore, about 90% of the Indigenous users
\nreported symptoms of cannabis dependence. This compares with
\nabout 20% of users aged 18 or over in the general Australian
\npopulation.3 Of even greater concern was a suggestion that, for
\nmost Indigenous users, cannabis was not a passing adolescent
\nphase. After 5 years of follow-up, the great majority reported
\ncontinuing heavy use.
\nCannabis use was linked to substantial health problems and
\nsocial burdens in these communities, which are already disadvantaged
\nby isolation and poverty. Up to 10% of the communities\u2019
\ntotal income and between 31% and 62% of a user\u2019s median weekly
\nincome was spent on cannabis. Cannabis users were less likely
\nthan non-users to participate in education or training and more
\nlikely to report auditory hallucinations, suicidal ideation, symptoms
\nof depression, and having been imprisoned. Community
\nviolence increased when cannabis supplies were scarce. The
\neffects on traditional life were described by one NT Indigenous
\nmental health clinician in the following way:
\nToo many of my people are chained to [cannabis]. They don\u2019t
\ngo out hunting or spend time by the river with their family.
\nThey just sit and smoke [cannabis], then look for money to buy
\nmore [cannabis] and get into fights when they can\u2019t get any
\n(Muriel Jaragba, personal communication).
\nWhat accounts for the unusual patterns of cannabis misuse in
\nthese remote Indigenous communities? There is little evidence that
\ncannabis is grown locally, but much anecdotal evidence that
\nmarket networks supplied by dealers based in urban or regional
\ncentres are extensive and resilient, making cannabis readily available
\n(A R C, unpublished observation). Alcohol restrictions have
\nbeen effective in reducing problem drinking within communities,
\nbut may have had the undesirable consequence of encouraging an
\nincrease in cannabis use where it could be easily obtained. As
\nwith risks for other forms of substance misuse in these communities,
\nthe social context is important. Limited employment and
\neducation opportunities; crowded, poor-quality housing; community-
\nwide feelings of disempowerment; and grief and loss related
\nto high mortality, morbidity and incarceration rates are all likely
\nrisk factors for substance misuse. Cannabis misuse is likely to be
\nboth a consequence of this type of social disadvantage and a
\nperpetuating influence.
\nCannabis misuse in remote Indigenous communities has been
\noverlooked for too long. It is now clear that it is yet another major
\nproblem for these already disadvantaged communities, with evidence
\nof cannabis misuse across a broad area of northern Australia.
\n As well as in the NT, concerns about the level of cannabis
\nuse have recently been noted in Cape York and anecdotally in
\nother parts of remote and regional Australia. Further research is
\nneeded to investigate the impact of cannabis use on urban
\nAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
\nEffective responses will not be easy. Controls on supply by
\nstate- or territory-based police are one of the few available
\nmeasures. In order to be effective, policymakers and service
\nproviders would need to work collaboratively with local communities
\nto tie in local prevention and treatment initiatives with
\nexisting supply control initiatives. Such programs would need to
\nuse Indigenous language and cultural frameworks, build capacity
\nof local Indigenous professionals, and improve understanding of
\nthe harms associated with cannabis misuse. Ultimately, tackling
\nthe misuse of cannabis and other substances in remote settings
\nwill depend on creating opportunities for social development
\nand for continuing education, training and employment of
\nadolescents and young adults.<\/p>\n

Source: 228 MJA \u2022 Volume 190 Number 5 \u2022 2 March 2009<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The effects of cannabis use on health and social adjustment are profound. Substance misuse by Indigenous people has long been recognised as one of the devastating consequences of contact with Western culture. Misuse of tobacco, alcohol and petrol among Indigenous Australians has received much attention. Cannabis, by contrast, has not been viewed as a major […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4549\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}