Pubdate: Mon, 26 May 2003
Source: Otago Daily Times (New Zealand)
Contact:  Allied Press Limited, 2003
Website: http://www2.odt.co.nz
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/925
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

NEW GOVT PLAN DESIGNED TO COMBAT SPEED 'CRISIS'

Manufacturers Of Methamphetamine Targeted

Wellington - A Government plan to tackle the rising problem of 
methamphetamine use in New Zealand will aim to make life much harder for 
manufacturers of the drug, and help victims receive better treatment.

The Government's Methamphetamine Action Plan, released last week by 
Associate Health Minister and chairman of the Ministerial Action Group on 
Alcohol and Drugs Jim Anderton, includes 19 action points aimed at 
controlling supply, reducing demand, limiting harm and improving treatment 
services.

The first part of the plan is the reclassification of methamphetamine to a 
class A drug, by May 30. Those importing or manufacturing the drug, 
commonly known as speed, could face life imprisonment.

Those convicted of conspiracy to commit an offence could face 14 years in 
prison, while those caught in possession of the drug could be imprisoned 
for six months, and/or fined $1000.

The plan includes increasing the powers of police and customs to search for 
and seize the drug or its ingredients.

"There is a zero-tolerance approach by the Government to this. We just 
consider it an outrageously dangerous drug, and those who engage in it are 
engaging in a substance of evil," Mr Anderton said.

It is hoped that people addicted to drugs will receive better treatment 
under the plan.

"We are not really after punishment for those who are victims . . . We want 
to help them, their families and communities," Mr Anderton said.

He spoke of improved community education, particularly in the Maori community.

"There is quite a significant amount of evidence that gangs, many of them 
Maori, are involved in the production and sale of methamphetamine," he said.

"I want to be co-operative with Maori communities . . . There is a 
suggestion that a rahui [ban] could be placed on methamphetamine. Not 
everyone takes notice of that, but it will be helpful in terms of the 
culture of this."

There will be more comprehensive monitoring and surveillance of the drug's 
use, to provide a clearer picture of the drug and its effects on New 
Zealanders.

Mr Anderton met American rap star Coolio recently and discussed the 
proliferation of substance abuse.

"It was extraordinary how honest he was about all this substance abuse and 
hard drugs. He has had plenty of experience, obviously, and it reinforced 
to me the desperate need for strong community action," Mr Anderton said.

Police National Drug Intelligence Bureau chief Detective Inspector Gary 
Knowles said the plan was an important step towards tackling "the crisis 
that is methamphetamine".

Police have previously said there appears to be a direct correlation 
between methamphetamine use and an increase in violent crime.

Det Insp Knowles believed life imprisonment for serious 
methamphetamine-related offences was appropriate.

Police were now coming across manufacturers in routine traffic stops - with 
chemicals and drug-making paraphernalia being found in vehicles, he said.

Competition between rival manufacturers had forced "cooks" to become more 
mobile, he said. But speed was not just an urban problem, as police also 
found labs in farmhouses and unused warehouses.

The youngest person police have found using methamphetamine was a 
9-year-old, while 11-year-olds have also been found under the influence.

Mr Anderton said this year's budget had provided $2.55 million per year for 
community initiatives to combat the drug, and $150,000 per year for a 
national drug information analyst to gather data for the National Drug Policy.

The budget provided $620,000 annually for operating funding for a pilot 
South Island youth residential service to support young people on drugs.

Customs is to receive $1.9 million to enhance drug teams in the three 
largest centres and to employ a further 16 drug specialists.

Customs will also receive between $15 million and $25 million for 
specialist X-ray technology, and an extra 130 staff.

Police will receive $6.6 million over four years to fund two teams trained 
in the clean-up of methamphetamine laboratories. - NZPA
- ---
MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager