Blog 15: Reframing drugs as a health issues

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Over the last eight months, drug law reform has been in the spotlight, with two Australian jurisdictions showing leadership and committing to a health-based approach to drug use. 

These reforms were made possible thanks to years of strategic campaigning from drug policy reform advocates, who have both been lobbying decision-makers directly as well a building broader community support for the new approach. 

One of the organisations behind this important advocacy is the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, which adopted a values-based approach to messaging around drugs following the publication of Common Cause Australia's Drug Stigma Message Guide in 2020. 

The guide was commissioned by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, Uniting NSW/ACT and the New Zealand Drug Foundation and included consultation with a range of diverse stakeholders, including people with lived experience of drug use and stigma. The primary aims of the guide were to reduce stigma towards people who use drugs and boost support for policy reform. 

According to the Foundation's CEO Erin Lalor, the guide has played an important role in the organisation's campaigning around drug law reform and is helping to shift the dial among decision-makers and the public. 

In October 2022, the ACT was the first jurisdiction in Australia to implement more compassionate and health-focussed law reform. Under the Drugs of Dependence (personal Use) Amendment Bill, people found with small amounts of common drugs in the ACT from October this year onwards will be issued with either a civil penalty (a fine) or health intervention, instead of facing criminal charges. 

Hot on the heels of this ground-breaking shift from the ACT was the Queensland Government which in April this year announced it was introducing a health first response to the possession of small quantities of drugs. Under the changes, people in Queensland found with small amounts of drugs for personal use would be given a warning or health intervention. Only a fourth interaction with police would result in a court notice. 

Neither of these policy changes is perfect, according to advocates, but the significance of shifting policy-makers from legislating drug use through a criminal frame to a health frame can not be overstated. 

So what did a values-based messaging approach to drug law reform look like in practice? 

According to Dr Lalor there were several recommendations from the Drug Stigma guide that are being put into action throughout the organisation's advocacy work and messaging to stakeholders. 

One key shift in messaging is to avoid phrases such as 'the war on drugs', and saying that 'drugs should not be treated as a criminal issue' - both of which fail to shift the frame for drugs and instead activate unhelpful opposition frames. Instead, the organisation is sticking to its story by consistently talking about the benefits of a "health-based approach" to drug use. 

Another important element of their new messaging approach is to highlight the diversity of people who use drugs in Australia, to try and undermine stereotypes. Rather than attempt to mythbust current stereotypes of people who use drugs, Dr Lalor says advocates focus their messaging on presenting a diverse image: "we say things like 'we know a lot of Australians, from lawyers to mechanics to office workers, use prohibited drugs' to try and shift people's stereotypes."

At the same time, they avoid messaging that implies all drug use is problematic. "We explain that not everyone has a problem with their use of drugs, but for those that do, we should be providing them with the help and support they need to be healthy and well," says Dr Lalor. "We also explained that for people who do have issues with their drug use, often this has more to do with other challenges they might be facing in their lives. In these situations, our role as a community is to help people with the support they need to be health and well - just like any other health issue." 

Embedding these new messages into the way the organisation framed its communications wasn't left to chance. The Foundation's media manager, Carmel Green, created a one-page 'story structure', using the vision-barrier-action message framework from Common Cause to serve as the basis of all messaging. "The story structure document was particularly useful ahead of media interviews and to share with internal stakeholders," says Green.

"We also checked our media releases, talking points, messages to stakeholders and letters to MPs against the 'words to embrace' section of the Drug Stigma guide to make sure our language was consistent and useful," she adds. 

"We are also very aware that we are just one of many organisations advocating for change on this issue, so informing others about the guide's recommendations was key," says Green. "We proactively approached and educated stakeholders about stigma and the importance of using non-stigmatising language and images."

Dr Lalor says values-based messaging has been a game-changer for how the organisation create and delivers its communications. "It can be hard to do at first, because it's different to what we're used to, but it does get easier with practice," says Dr Lalor, before adding: "in the end, the results are certainly worth it." 

Want more information?

Visit commoncause.com.au to learn more about Common Cause Australia’s work and the concept behind values-based messaging. 

Contact Mark Chenery on [email protected] if you have further questions about this work.