Enforcing law on tobacco sales to minors: getting the question and action right.

There is a substantial history of health-related law in Australia, but only recently has this included a significant amount of state regulation pertaining to tobacco promotion, sale and public use. The important question is: under what circumstances do regulation and law enforcement work? Rigorous, energetic, long-term local law enforcement on the supply of tobacco to minors demonstrates success in preventing uptake. A model for success combines education, enforcement and publicity; a model used to some effect in alcohol law. Future directions in regulation might include on-the-spot penalties; ensuring the law is simple and has community support; striving for sufficient resources, enthusiasm and skills; and making the tobacco retail industry pay some of the costs of regulating that industry.

Cannabis and driving: a new perspective.

Cannabis and driving is an emerging injury-prevention concern. The incidence of driving while affected by cannabis is rising in parallel with increased cannabis use in the community. Younger drivers are at particular risk. Improvements in research methodology, technology and laboratory testing methods have occurred in the last 10 years. These cast doubt on earlier results and conclusions. Studies now show that cannabis has a significant impairing effect on driving when used alone and that this effect is exaggerated when combined with alcohol. Of particular concern is the presence of cannabis as the sole psychoactive drug in an increasing number of road fatalities and the lack of any structural response to this problem. A review of testing methods, laboratory and real driving studies, and recent epidemiological studies is presented. Suggestions for methods of further data collection and future public policy are made.