Illicit drug use is increasing in the Pacific with children as young as 10 becoming addicted.
In August the leader of a plot to import 4.1 tonnes of methamphetamine, with a street value of about $1.4 billion, was sentenced to life in prison in Fiji.
The effect of this drug abuse is surging through communities with loved ones going missing, violence, a rapid increase in HIV infections via needle sharing and myriad other social issues.
In Tonga, it is triggering a mental health crisis, with up to 40 per cent of mental health hospital admissions linked with drug addiction.
Traditionally, drug and alcohol consumption in the Pacific has been connected to creating community.
Substances such as kava have been a way to bring people together, to create talanoa around the tanoa, and forge a sense of belonging.
But these community connections are being challenged by highly addictive substances, such as meth, cocaine and heroin.
It’s easy to view this drug use as a criminal and moral issue where users are locked up for possession or banished from village and faith communities that were a previous source of stability and strength.
This can lead to more heartache and pain, perpetuating a cycle of harmful substance abuse.
It can also exacerbate other social, welfare and health needs. Undiagnosed and untreated illnesses such as depression and anxiety may lead to an individual using drugs to self-medicate. This can put a person into a spiral of isolation and helplessness.
This is where we, as a Pacific region and community, need to be more proactive in dealing with drugs through a holistic and helpful way.
Harm minimisation as a way forward
A more sustainable approach is through harm minimisation. It operates under the premise that drugs are always going to be around, and that individuals can collectively learn how to reduce any form of harm associated with their use.
Harm minimisation embraces three pillars of reduction — harm, supply and demand — that can be used to create policies and practices across the Pacific that support our families and communities.
Harm reduction strives to reduce risky behaviours associated with drug use. It aims to educate individuals, families and communities to understand options to use drugs safely.
This can help people make informed decisions on how and when to use. Harm reduction also tries to help individuals understand why they may be using in the first place and looks to social support and other solutions rather than getting a high.
By empowering people to understand the possible harms and reasons associated with drugs, they can control the substance, rather than the substance control them.
Much research and evidence esteem the role of harm reduction, including my own practice as a social worker. I’ve designed and implemented drug and alcohol educational material that has been delivered during individual counselling, or as group work sessions with Pacific young people.
Supply reduction requires border control policies and police work to stop illegal drugs from coming into country and to monitor, and stop, trafficking. At the same time, regulations on legal drugs, including the minimum age of usage, can be developed in consultation with communities.
Demand reduction is designed to prevent the urge to use in the first place, or to support someone to recover. Early prevention includes pro-active public health campaigns highlighting the risks of drug use.
For those already using, funding health services, including detox and rehab centres can play a major role with case management support to assist individuals and families to recover.
Creating hope, not fear
By implementing these three pillars, we can create hope towards holistic and helpful solutions, rather than reactive and retaliatory responses that lead to further fear.
The benefits of these pillars reflect a whole-of-community approach, which reflect the Pacific way of life. This is where an individual is connected reciprocally to others, and we are held responsible to create shared futures together.
Only by reclaiming these values and have them better reflected in our desire to deal with drugs in a holistic and helpful way, can we tackle the scourge effectively.
Jioji Ravulo is Professor and Chair of Social Work and Policy Studies at The University of Sydney, and an Adjunct Professor at The University of the South Pacific. He works across various areas including alcohol and other drugs, mental health, young people, and education.
