When Heroin use was rampant the user was likely to die of an overdose because the strength reaching the streets varied widely. Addicts were also more likely to break into homes looking for goods that could be easily turned into cash to finance their next "hit ", but rarely did Heroin lead to aggression.
Marijuana has been with us for a very long time. It is a recreational drug in many ways similar to alcohol and it is evident that it has replaced grog as the substance present in the blood of many drivers involved in car crashes.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has issued a warning that the increasing use of Crystal Meth - which is known as "Ice " - is fuelling crimes of violence to the extent that it could "bring us to our knees as a nation ".
The litany of irrational violence seems to be ever increasing. There have been instances of torture and murder for no apparent reason, and recently a man under the influence of Ice went berserk and stabbed others at his workplace. Another driver led police on a wild chase when he drove the wrong way down the M1. In most cases, when attempting to place such a person under arrest the police involved comment that Ice seems to bestow superhuman strength and aggression.
St Vincents hospital head of emergency comments that those under the influence of Ice are "the most out of control or most violent human beings I have ever seen in my life "! Police and hospital staff, together with the Paramedics who crew our ambulance fleet literally take their life in their hands when they try to deal with those under the influence of Crystal Meth.
The danger is that the use of Ice is growing exponentially. Not only is it imported into this country, we have many small production units "cooking " local supplies and it can be produced from reasonably easily obtained ingredients. As a consequence, it's price on the streets is low and it is probably the cheapest illegal substance available. It is also the most addictive substance since Heroin. Many users have their first taste - and are immediately "hooked " !
Often, Police find that using their Taser's fails to subdue a person under the influence of Ice and it takes the involvement of several officers to subdue the offender and place him or her in a paddy wagon. Many suspect that the spate of "King Hit " attacks that took place around Kings Cross were Ice fuelled and since new laws cleaned up the Cross it seems that unprovoked and deadly irrational attacks have moved to the suburbs.
The Police Commissioner is appealing to the public for help. If we are to stamp out this drug it will need the backing of the public to supply the information to crack the distribution networks and close down the Crystal Meth labs. Unless Ice becomes "public enemy number one "there is a chance that it will spin out of control - with an ever widening pool of addicts.
There simply is no "safe "level of Ice use. It is not a drug that can be applied to deliver a "Saturday night high " and be ignored for the rest of the week. The metabolic balance of a great many people will be influenced to a dangerous level of addiction the moment this drug enters their body - and from that point onward aggression and irrationality are out of control.
We would be wise to heed the comment from the head of emergency at St Vincents hospital. That is the destination of most emergency cases in inner Sydney and the fact the it's doctors and nurses find themselves under attack at strength and ferocity levels never seen before is a foretaste of what the public can expect if this drug escapes control. The statistician estimates that at the moment just two percent of the Australian population is using Ice. Considering the mayhem this is delivering, just imagine what any multiplication of those numbers would deliver ?
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