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Policy and Advocacy
Division, Faculty and Chapter Priorities
Chapter of Addiction Medicine

Chapter of Addiction Medicine

What is Addiction Medicine?

Addiction Medicine is the comprehensive care of people with substance use and addiction disorders, including drug and alcohol addiction, and pharmaceutical dependency.

The Australasian Chapter of Addiction Medicine (AChAM) plays an important role in shaping public policy in the areas of health protection, prevention and health promotion for improved public and population health outcomes.

What is the College doing?

The AChAM Committee leads the Chapter’s policy and advocacy work. Its key priorities are to:

call for adequately resourced treatment services underpinned by a sustainable workforce to ensure people experiencing substance use issues can access the care they need, when and where they need it
advocate for a health approach to drug policy in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand which encompasses education, prevention, treatment and harm reduction approaches that are effective, ethical, empowering and evidence-based

Policies, Position Statements and Resources

RACP Position Statement – Achieving a health-focused approach to drug policy in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (November 2024) (PDF)

Joint RANZCP/RACP Position Statement 45 – Prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm (August 2024) (PDF)

RACP fact sheet on Real Time Prescription Monitoring (RTPM) (2022) (PDF)

RACP-endorsed Interim guidance for the delivery of medication assisted treatment of opioid dependence in response to COVID-19: a national response (April 2020) (PDF)

RACP fact sheet on minimum unit pricing for alcohol – the high price of cheap alcohol (2020) and select bibliography (2020) (PDF) and select bibliography (2020) (PDF)

Australasian Chapter of Addiction Medicine - Evolve Top-5 Recommendations on low-value practices (2020)

Council of presidents of medical colleges - Statement on ensuring strict codeine regulation (2017) (PDF)

Alcohol Policy – In collaboration with The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) (March 2016) (PDF)

Medically Supervised Injecting Centre Position Statement (2012) (PDF)

Prescription Opioid Policy: Improving management of chronic non-malignant pain and prevention problems associated with prescription opioid use (2009) (PDF)

Joint RACP/RANZCP Tobacco Policy: Using evidence for better outcomes (2005) (PDF)

Illicit Drugs Policy: Using evidence to get better outcomes – Developed in collaboration with The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) (2003) (PDF)

Recent Submissions

RACP submission to the Australian Parliamentary Inquiry into the health impacts of alcohol and other drugs (October 2024) (PDF)

RACP feedback on the Northern Territory Draft Alcohol Action Plan 2023-2025 (March 2023) (PDF)

RACP submission to the Australian Parliamentary Inquiry titled Australia’s illicit drug problem: Challenges and opportunities for law enforcement (January 2023) (PDF)

Joint RANZCP/RACP submission to the Australian Parliamentary Inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm (November 2022) (PDF)

RACP submission to the WA Legislative Assembly’s Education and Health Standing - Inquiry into the Esther Foundation (July 2022) (PDF)

AChAM submission to the Australian Department of Health consultation on the Post-market Review of Opiate Dependence Treatment Program Medicines (October 2021) (PDF)

RACP response to Department of Health survey draft Terms of Reference on the Post-market review of the medicines listed on the PBS Opiate Dependence Treatment Program (June 2021) (PDF)

RACP submission to NSW Government’s Regulation to support Real Time Prescription Monitoring consultation paper (March 2021) (PDF)

AChAM President's response to the draft Newcastle Destination Management Plan (February 2021) (PDF)

RACP submission to NHMRC consultation on draft Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol (February 2020) (PDF)

RACP submission to the Australian Senate inquiry into effective approaches to prevention, diagnosis and support for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (December 2019) (PDF)

RACP submission to the Inquiry into the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Drug Testing Trial) Bill 2019 (September 2019) (PDF)

RACP submission into the Parliament of NSW Joint Select Committee on Sydney's night-time economy (July 2019) (PDF)

RACP submission to the Special Commission of the Inquiry into the Drug 'Ice' (May 2019) (PDF)

RACP submission to SA Health's RTPM Controlled Substances Amendment Bill 2020 (April 2020) (PDF)

RACP submission to the consultation on the draft National Treatment Framework – Version 3 (July 2019) (PDF)

RACP submission to the Inquiry into the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Drug Testing Trial) Bill 2019 (September 2019) (PDF)

RACP submission to the consultation on NSW music festival safety guidelines (January 2019) (PDF)

RACP submission to the South Australian Department of Health and Ageing's consultation paper titles Considering a model for mandatory assessment and/or treatment of those at extreme and immediate risk, based on the Victorian Severe Substance Dependency Treatment Act 2010 (February 2018) (PDF)

RACP submission to the Newcastle CBD Liquor Licence Conditions Review (January 2018) (PDF)

RACP submission to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Prescription strong (Schedule 8) opioid use and misuse in Australia - options for a regulatory response (March 2018) (PDF)

RACP submission – consultation on the Australian draft National Alcohol Strategy 2018-2026 (February 2018) (PDF)

RACP submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the provision of drug rehabilitation services in regional, rural and remote New South Wales (December 2017) (PDF)

RACP submission – NSW inquiry into Alcoholic Beverages Advertising Prohibition Bill (November 2017) (PDF)

RACP submission Senate Inquiry Welfare Reform Bill (July 2017) (PDF)

RACP submission to the Victorian Parliament Inquiry into the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Amendment (Pilot Medically Supervised Injecting Centre) Bill 2017 (April 2017) (PDF)

RACP submission to the Victorian Parliament Law Reform, Road and Community Safety Committee Inquiry into Drug Law Reform (March 2017) (PDF)

RACP submission to the NSW Health 2016 Statutory Review of Part 2A of the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985 (May 2016) (PDF)

RACP submission letter on the NSW Draft Smoke-free Environment Regulation 2016 (June 2016) (PDF)

RACP submission to the ACT Government’s community consultation on smoke-free playgrounds (February 2017) (PDF)

RACP submission to the Victorian to the Tobacco Amendment Bill 2016 (June 2016) (PDF)

Contribute your expertise

RACP Trainees and Physicians need to see the Represent Your Profession page or email policy@racp.edu.au or use the online contact form.

Contact AChAM

Email AddictionMed@racp.edu.au or use the online contact form

Read more

Read published RACP policies, position statements or submissions by searching the Policy and Advocacy Library.

The documents listed below have been removed from the website; however, they are available upon request.

Needle and Syringe Exchange Programs in Prisons
Strategies to support recall of drugs
The Use of Sustained Release Formulations of Naltrexone in Opioid Dependence
Decision-Making at the End of Life in Infants, Children and Adolescents.

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Custodians and Elders — past, present and emerging — of the lands and waters on which RACP members and staff live, learn and work. RACP acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partners in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Find out more about our commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori health equity.

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