More needs to be done in order to support members of the Tamworth community who are struggling with drug and alcohol issues, according to the Fair Treatment Campaign.
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A community event was held at Tamworth Southside Uniting Church on the weekend, and it attracted about 25 concerned locals.
A number of issues were raised including the perceived lack of resources available to those wanting to seek help, and the stigma surrounding drug use.
Part of Uniting Church's advocacy team, Alex Hogan, said it was an informative meeting that helped the campaign gain a better understanding of what is needed in Tamworth moving forward.
"Everyone in the room seemed pretty excited and keen to talk about this issue, it was very obvious from a number of stories that we heard that the need for more funding for treatment is widely felt here," she said.
"We heard from representatives from local services here in town about the challenges they face, the work they do is really, really amazing but they are just not being funded enough, and so there is a massive gap in what they are able to provide."
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She said the next step will be to take the information they learnt on Saturday and share it with the right people so they are able to better support local services.
On top of trying to deal with the issue of drug use and rehabilitation on a local level, the Fair Treatment Campaign is also focused on trying to get drugs decriminalised
It said the practice has been used effectively in other countries, and should be introduced in Australia.
"One thing that was broadly acknowledged with the event on Saturday was that the stigmas associated with drug use and drug dependency are a massive barrier for people seeking help when they want it or need it," Ms Hogan said.
"And we know from best practice overseas and what the evidence tells us continually is that the removal of criminal penalties associated with drug use and dependency really starts to dismantle those stigmas."
She said evidence from the campaign's work in Dubbo shows good community communication and a clear goal can go a long way to dealing with substance abuse.
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