Jul 04 Vol. 2 No. 3
Policing and harm reduction was one of the many topics atthe 15th International Conference on the Reductionof Drug Related Harm in Melbourne in April. OfSubstance reports on some of the dilemmas thatarise for Australian police in participating in harmreduction strategies. The Club Health conference,which preceded the Harm Reduction conference, isalso the subject of discussion along with other recentreports that highlight the ongoing debates associatedwith ‘party drugs’.
Supervised injecting facilities are also a current topic.There has been a proposal put forward in NSW for anew facility in Redfern to help address concerns aboutinjecting drug use in the area known as ‘the Block’. OfSubstance reports on the latest review of the evidenceon injecting facilities from Europe and presents a briefhistory and two diverse perspectives on the Australiandebates about this issue.
We also highlight a recent report about successfulmodels for Aboriginal service provision in Australia.Keeping with the theme of Aboriginal issues, wealso present a report from the Northern Territory onthe possible health harms of kava, as well as theregulatory framework that has been devised to controlkava distribution.
Following our coverage of cannabis use and itsassociation with mental health problems in the January2004 issue we report on the latest evidence abouttreatment options. Two prominent youth services alsogive their perspectives about youth cannabis use andtreatment. Some of the results from the last AustralianSecondary Schools Survey are also used to highlightcurrent research about adolescents and tobacco use.
Finally we profile the inaugural National Drug andAlcohol Awards that were held in Sydney in Aprilthis year. These awards highlight the interesting anddiverse work being carried out by the sector nationally.We hope you enjoy this issue and we always welcomeyour feedback and suggestions for future topics. 
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