To the Editor: In Cape York Indigenous communities, alcohol restrictions started in 2002–2003, with local prohibition in some communities since 2008.1 These restrictions may have halved alcohol-related injuries,1 a historically important change. However, residents of Cape York Indigenous communities suggest that there has been an accompanying rise in cannabis use over this period (Box 1). During consultations in 2011 for Minister Macklin’s controversial Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory Act 2012, concerns about cannabis use were also raised by Northern Territory Aboriginal people.2 While the Northern Territory Emergency Response2 (NTER) promised stronger alcohol restrictions, the concerns of Aboriginal people about cannabis use in their communities have been ignored.
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- 1. Margolis SA, Ypinazar VA, Muller R, Clough AR. Increasing alcohol restrictions and rates of serious injury in four remote Australian Indigenous communities. Med J Aust 2011; 194: 503-506. <MJA full text>
- 2. Australian Government. Stronger futures in the Northern Territory report on consultations October 2011. http://www.indigenous.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/consult_1710111.pdf (accessed Feb 2012).
- 3. Gray DA. The Northern Territory Emergency Response and cannabis use in remote Indigenous communities [letter]. Med J Aust 2010; 192: 555. <MJA full text>
- 4. Clough AR, Cairney S, Maruff P, Parker R. Rising cannabis use in Indigenous communities [letter]. Med J Aust 2002; 177: 395-396. <MJA full text>
- 5. Hunter EM, Gynther BD, Anderson CJ, et al. Psychosis in Indigenous populations of Cape York and the Torres Strait. Med J Aust 2012; 196: 133-135. <MJA full text>
The Cape York Cannabis Project Team includes Susan Jacups, Jan Robertson, Bernadette Rogerson and Veronica Graham. These individuals are co-authors of the letter. We wish to thank shire councils and community organisations that support the research, and the entire Cape York Cannabis Project Team for data collection, comments on the letter and statistical analysis. This research is supported by National Health and Medical Research Council Project Grant #601002. Ethics approval was provided by the Cairns and Hinterland Health Service District Ethics Committee and the James Cook University Human Research Ethics Committee.
No relevant disclosures.