CANNABIS, ALCOHOL ASSISTANCE 'LACKING'

Alcohol and cannabis abuse among young people have been underestimated
because a lack of targeted services has hidden the problem, according to
Mission Australia.

Mission Australia runs Perth's only respite and withdrawal service, and in
its first nine months of operation, more than 65 per cent of clients had
cannabis or alcohol problems.

But harder drugs such as heroin usually were the focus for drug programs
and as a result, young people experiencing problematic cannabis or alcohol
misuse had difficulty accessing safe health-focused services.

Since opening last year, 152 young people have sought help at the service
which is funded by the State Government and operated jointly by Mission
Australia and the WA Health Department.

Mission Australia State manager Anne Russell-Brown said historically, youth
services in this area had been targeted at those people battling addiction
to what were considered much harder substances.

"Unfortunately, this focus has sometimes meant that young people battling
cannabis and alcohol misuse have not had access to similar services," she said.

"Clearly the figures show than there is a need for a service that can be
accessed by young people experiencing problematic cannabis and alcohol use."

She said the figures clearly demonstrated the need for services such as the
one Mission Australia had opened, and the reality that young people would
seek help within a health-focused framework.

And while it might be argued that the figures demonstrated cannabis use in
particular was a bigger problem than imagined and decriminalisation might
make it worse, Ms Russel-Brown said decriminalisation would encourage young
people to feel safer about getting help.

She said it made it a health issue rather than a legal issue.

Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation chief executive Daryl
Smeaton said there clearly was a lack of services for young people with
substance abuse issues.

He said people did not really appreciate that alcohol was a drug, and its
misuse made it the most dangerous drug in the community.