Elaine Walters the author of The Cannabis Connection and Marijuana - An Australian Crisis, completes the trilogy on the issue of illegal drugs with the publication of The Cruel Hoax - Street Drugs in Australia.
Ms Walters begins by revealing the strategy used by pro-drug lobbyists to establish credibility in the field of illegal drugs. She reveals the ease with which health and education professionals have been hoodwinked by the concept of harm minimisation and how advisors and Australian ‘experts’ have been part of the hoax for many years. By omission and misinformation they have trivialised the health risks associated with the use of illegal drugs and promoted responsible use and normalisation.
The second part of the book is presented in the same question and answer format used in Marijuana - An Australian Crisis with updated scientific research and statistics. Elaine Walters also reveals the failure of the liberal policies of the Netherlands to reduce illegal drug use and demonstrates the successful approach of the Swedish policy which promotes the ideal of a drug free society.
In the final section the author selects extracts from drug education programmes from other countries which have been effective in reducing drug use by school children. It is a practical commonsense approach and includes education guidelines for primary and secondary schools. Its emphasis is on a drug free school environment.
Fifteen years of working with families affected by drug use, her overseas study as a Churchill Fellow and her continuous and meticulous research on the issue establishes Elaine Walters as one of Australia’s leading authorities on street drugs. The Cruel Hoax is recommended to educators, health professionals and parents. In particular it should he read by all students. It is with their interest at heart that Elaine Walters has devoted herself to what she considers to be a labour of love.
Author: Elaine Walters
Publisher: Shield (1996)
ISBN: 0646259717
