GENERAL HEALTH 64% in 2013, while that of lower-grade speed has also increased to 37% in the same period. Therefore, the ice ‘epidemic’ isn’t based on the amount of users but rather the increased frequency of use and purity of the drug. A large proportion of ice is imported into Australia, but there are still hundreds of hidden meth and ecstasy ‘labs’ around the country. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 602 laboratories were seized in 2009-2010, most of which were found in Queensland. The Australian Crime Commission has also found that there is also a greater tendency in Australia towards poly-drug use, the combination of two or more psychoactive drugs to achieve a particular effect. Organised crime groups respond to this by dealing various illicit drugs and/or mixing them to increase addiction levels, which has effectively increased their access. Impacts on the community Ice use and addiction can create long-lasting social issues like family and relationship breakdown, domestic violence, loss of employment, encounters with police and the law, and homelessness. This is often compounded by poverty and a dysfunctional lifestyle – which are often reasons people turn to ice – as well as alcohol abuse, smoking and other drug use. According to the AIHW, there has been an increase in people seeking treatment at drug and alcohol clinics, while treatment where meth was the major drug of concern doubled between 2009-2010 and 2012-2013 to 14%. Research by the Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre Victoria shows an 88% increase in ambulance call-outs in metropolitan Victoria and a 198% increase for meth-related incidents in some regional areas. The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) showed a 30% increase of meth-related crimes between 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, while Queensland results from the 2007-2012 roadside drug-testing program found 41% of those surveyed tested positive for meth. The manufacturing of meth has devastating environmental consequences, as it produces a range of toxic fumes that permeate walls, furniture and carpets, and pollutes the air surrounding a lab. Houses used as meth labs are extremely dangerous for unsuspecting future tenants. Lab operators have often been found dumping toxic waste into nearby streams, rivers, fields, backyards and sewage systems, which contaminates human water resources. Ice breeds violence and crime, which are usually linked with the user’s desperation to attain the drug or seek the means to pay their dealer. Additionally, children who are exposed to the chemicals are in severe risk of health problems or death, or can be neglected by addicted parents. Is this an epidemic? Despite the increased frequency, potency and availability of ice in Australia, many organisations and drug use researchers have dismissed the ‘epidemic’ label. As well as this, a number of experts have argued that Senator Lambie’s proposal for a private member’s bill, which would allow parents of iceaddicted offspring to force them into detox, will not work. Contrarily to the short-term detox approach administered by many health and rehabilitation institutions, experts are pushing for a less simple solution for a complex problem. Criticism of mandatory short-term treatment points to research that shows relatively few benefits in detox programs. In particular, research by Australian National University Associate Professor Rebecca McKetin explored the differences in recovery between long-term ice users: the first group undertook a residential rehab program; the second undertook a weeklong detox program; the third undertook no treatment. After three months, interviews showed that those who undertook the weeklong detox were just as likely to still be using meth as those who had undertaken no treatment. Senator Lambie’s proposal faces disapproval on the basis that ice addiction is a chronic condition that impacts decision making and thought processes; many ice addicts are not in the position where they want to get better. In one Sky News article, Flinders University’s National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction Associate Professor Nicole Lee said, “Just having more beds, and forcing people into rehab, does not mean they’re going to get better, or stay better." Neuroscience supports the argument that ice addicts are not acting entirely on their own. Such research demonstrates the drug’s ability to change or rewire brain function and structure that makes sensible decision making more difficult. Not all ice users need intense treatment because not all are addicted. Research by Boston College Senior Lecturer Gene Heyman PhD proves that many addicts do quit without professional help for legal concerns, economic pressures and the desire for acceptance in the community. Additionally, Australia already has a number of mandated treatment pathways for drug use and possession offenders, which operate through the police and justice systems. In all states, police can refer people to treatment as an alternative to the justice system, which has proven to be effective. Drug courts – special courts for users that haven’t committed a violent crime – can send offenders to treatment if they plead guilty to divert the justice system, which has also had positive effects. However, in order to best understand ice addiction and combat its impact as a community, it should not be viewed as something over which users have absolute control or lack of control. As mentioned above, there is a range of personal and environmental factors contributing to the user’s experience. So far, the most effective treatment for meth dependency is residential rehabilitation and cognitive behaviour therapy (counselling). Verifying the best way to develop and implement treatment and aftercare strategies will constitute one of the challenges for the National Ice Taskforce in the coming months. Education is power Education, starting in primary schools, has been highlighted as a major approach to addressing Australia’s ice problem. In one ABC report from February, both Hunter Valley magistrate Col Elliot and the Health Services Union called for education to be implemented in schools to warn children and young adults about the effects and dangers of ice use. Also this year, Liberal MP Fiona Scott produced the ‘Ice Meltdown Report’ with the cooperation of community members, health professionals and police in the Lindsay Electorate of Western Sydney, which suggested ice education be initiated in primary schools. Equipping children with the tools to say ‘no’ to ice and other illicit drugs is education’s primary objective. Understanding the effects of and refusing drugs from an early age manifests years later in reduced health care costs, social cohesion and loving families. 28 Pindara Magazine 2015\2016
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Six
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