Methamphetamine use is an issue of great concern to the Melbourne Aboriginal community. Users are at high risk of social exclusion, health problems and imprisonment. Further, community agencies report difficult engaging young people in education about methamphetamine use. In collaboration with the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, this project combines expertise from health, welfare, justice and education academics to examine the adequacy of response to methamphetamine use across the service system. Findings will be communicated via innovative vodcasting strategy designed to engage youth. The study will seed future research concerning service system response to issues of concern for Aboriginal people in Victoria.
Researchers
Kerry Arabena [Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit, UoM]
Sarah MacLean [Centre for Health and Society, Medicine, Dental and Health Sciences, UoM]
Mark McMillan [Melbourne Law School, Melbourne Law School, UoM]
Helen Cahill [Youth Research Centre, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, UoM]
Research outputs
Publications
MacLean S., Harney A. & Arabena K. (2015) 'Primary health care responses to methamphetamine use in Australian Indigenous communities', Australian Journal of Primary Health 21(4):384-390
Harney A., MacLean S. & Arabena K. (2014) Treatment guidelines, training and information resources about methamphetamine (ice) use for Victorian Aboriginal communities. Melbourne: University of Melbourne
Media & events
Ice addiction: Let's stop the scare tactics and tell stories of recovery, The Drum, Monday 21 September 2015
Ticking timebomb: why ice could be the new drug scourge of the outback, The Guardian, Friday 27 March 2015