COUNTRY FOLK TOP ABUSERS

COUNTRY residents continue to outstrip city people in the abuse of illicit
drugs, alcohol and tobacco, a new report reveals.

It says Kimberley residents still reign as the biggest abusers of alcohol,
cigarettes and drugs when comparing hospital costs per capita.

The report, Indicators of Drug Use: Regional and State Profiles WA, for the
first time draws together a series of statistics into one document to allow
comparison of drug use.

Drug and Alcool Office pactice development director Professor Steve Allsop
said the regional profiles fitted with geographical, lifestyle and other
factors which influenced drug use.

A good example was alcohol consumption which, across Australia, tended to be
higher in the northern half of the country.

"The regional profiles tend to reflect what people have access to,"
Professor Allsop said.

"In those very remote areas, you will have much lower access to a large
number of drugs but you might have easier access to alcohol or to tobacco or
to inhalants.

"It comes down to availability and opportunity."

Notwithstanding a heroin shortage, people in Perth would still have much
better access to the drug than people in remote areas.

Amphetamine availability seemed to be high in the Goldfields. That could be
because it was near where the drug was manufactured.

To arrest the high rates of drug abuse, factors such as recreational, job
and community opportunities had to be addressed.

Information from the report would be used to measure the impact of drug
strategies which were being drawn up for the different regions.

Area plans were being put together after consulting police, justice, health
and community development representatives and reviewing information from the
report.

Mandurah, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in WA and a high
number of people on low incomes, will host a drug and alcohol conference at
the Atrium Hotel on Friday and Saturday.

Drug law reform advocate Tony Trimmingham, who helped set up a heroin
injecting room at Sydney's Wayside Chapel, will be one of the key speakers.

His son Damian died of a heroin overdose and he will tell the conference
about events which led to him setting up the organisation Family Drug
Support.