Pubdate: Sat, 24 May 2003
Source: Daily News, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2003, Independent Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,0a1803,FF.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1056
Author: Kim Batchelor
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

GOVT PLANS DRUG CRACKDOWN

Methamphetamine use in Taranaki is reaching dangerous levels as the 
Government moves to crack down on a nationwide problem.

The Government's new 19-point Methamphetamine Action Plan was aimed at 
controlling supply, reducing demand, limiting harm and improving treatment 
services.

Detective Sue Ashton, of Waitara, said the use of methamphetamine was 
getting to a dangerous level.

"I'm beginning to see signs of it being used by the youth, which is really 
scary. It's scary enough adults using it, let alone teenage children or 
younger.

"We are starting to see a lot of relationship break-ups because of it; it's 
destroying families and also the mood changes and violence."

Police were definitely seeing more crime that was linked to methamphetamine 
use - burglaries by drug users to support their habit and shoplifters 
targeting chemists to get the base ingredients for manufacture of the drug, 
Ms Ashton said.

"Then you have the violence side of it that is starting to shine through."

The changes in the action plan, particularly the power of search, would 
help police combat use of the drug, she said.

"At the moment, we haven't got the powers of search. If we believe 
someone's carrying methamphetamine there's not a lot we can do without a 
search warrant and that takes a bit of time to get."

Taranaki Young People's Trust co-ordinator Bridget West said the plan was a 
good idea, but she wondered if the Government actually realised how bad the 
problem was.

"For this area, in particular, I think it's quite prevalent and it's not 
being picked up."

She was working with several people aged 17 to 21 who were using 
methamphetamine regularly. For some, it was causing problems in their 
lives, but others had not yet reached that stage.

"It's like a time bomb."

Under the Government's action plan, police and customs would get greater 
search and seizure powers, while other agencies would be responsible for 
improving community education and beefing up drug monitoring surveillance data.

The plan involved reclassifying methamphetamine as a class-A drug by the 
end of the month. Those importing or manufacturing the drug, commonly known 
as speed, could face life imprisonment.

Earlier this year, Taranaki Base Hospital's emergency department revealed 
it had employed a night security guard because of increasing levels of 
violence, much of it because of patients being affected by methamphetamine use.

Emergency department medical director Paul Koenig said health workers were 
seeing more aggressive and violent behaviour.

Taranaki Health's drug and alcohol medical officer Graeme Judson said his 
department was seeing more and more people who were using methamphetamine. 
Many of them had been on it for a few years and it was the same all over 
New Zealand.

"We are certainly seeing more and more, it's a slow trend upwards. People 
that present to us are normally at the dependent end of the scale."

Dr Judson said that what he had seen of the plan was welcomed and he 
believed reclassification of the drug to class-A made sense.

"And it's good to see them making moves towards more funding for treatment 
and education. I don't know the exact details yet but it's certainly a 
positive direction."

In releasing the plan, Associate Health Minister and chairman of the 
Ministerial Action Group on Alcohol and Drugs, Jim Anderton, said the 
Government was showing zero tolerance.
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MAP posted-by: Tom