1st February, 2007

Almost one in ten Australians have tried methamphetamine at least once and 500,000 have used the drug in the past year, according to a report from the Australian National Council on Drugs.

The report says use of the drug - sold under a variety of street names including ‘speed’, ‘base’, ‘pure’ and ‘meth’ with ‘crystal meth’ or ‘ice’ being the strongest available form - has become “an increasing concern in Australia over the past few years”.

While the report says most current users take the drug infrequently, it’s estimated that there are about 73,000 dependent methamphetamine users in the country - a figure which equates to almost double the estimated 45,000 regular heroin users.

Dependent users typically inject or smoke the drug which can cause psychotic symptoms such as paranoia and hallucinations and lead to crimes such as drug dealing and property offences, aggressive or violent behaviour, a deterioration in social functioning and physical health problems such as stroke, cardiovascular-related issues and dental problems.

In Australia about 50 deaths a year are directly attributable to the use of psychostimulant drugs including methamphetamine.

The positioning paper contained a number of recommendations including the development of clinical guidelines on the treatment of psychotic symptoms, the dissemination of guidelines on the management of the drug's toxicity to emergency workers, the maintenance of tight border controls and cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the promotion of effective school-based prevention strategies.

~ www.ancd.org.au

- DAVID ADAMS