Right now Between The Lines is preparing a submission for the Australian Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy consultation and we want to get YOUR feedback on two sections:

1. How the internet and technology can be used to implement the strategy.

2. What other issues need to be thought about when implementing a drug strategy for young people (see Glossary for policy wonk terms below).

YAWN! Yeah… I don’t blame you but… Put another way we want you to tell us:

1. How you think the government, organisations and health services (aka other policy wonks, CEOs in suits and people in white coats with stethoscopes) can use technology to minimise the harms of drugs and alcohol for young people.

2. What else is going on in the lives of young people that might make those ‘drugs are bad mkay’ lessons at school well, pretty much useless.

Why would you want to tell us? Well, it enables us to bug governments and other organisations with ideas for how technology can be used to empower young people (in this case around drugs and alcohol) in an attempt to change their (i.e. the government’s) ways.

So tell us what you think about drugs and technology and government and life and stuff by posting a comment below!

P.S. For more information, whether it be on advocacy and policy submissions, the National Drug Strategy and this consultation, or any other questions, you can post a comment here or send an email to me (marianne@inspire.org.au).

Glossary of terms policy people use:

> Policy – a statement about why, what and how something should be done.
> Submission – a formal way of turning a policy statement into a long rant.
> Ministerial Council – bunch of governmenty-professionally people put together to solve a problem (or in many cases talk about the talks needed to start talking about the problem).
> Strategy – ridiculously long document on what the talkers talked about and what to do with that talk.
> Consultation – an invitation for lots of people to send in their rants to the talkers.