101 East explores methamphetamine abuse in Australia often resulting in violent assaults and mental health breakdowns.
101 East
Last updated: 11 Apr 2014 12:42
Rising crime rates are the tip of an insidious iceberg, as methamphetamine abuse cases soar in Australia.
The methamphetamine drug called ice is the drug of choice among young people, and so powerful that it can take just one hit for its users to become addicted.
Authorities warn of an “ice epidemic”; the number of ambulance call-outs to ice users has multiplied, especially in regional country towns.
In the state of Victoria, the state’s support lines have been flooded with calls for help and the number of people seeking face-to-face assistance from support services has also risen. In 2012, methamphetamine overtook heroin as the drug injected most often.
The easy accessibility of ice makes it a recipe for disaster. Young addicts say it is socially accepted as a party drug and widely used with alcohol.
While alcohol-related patients far outweigh ice users in hospital emergency departments, medical staff say the latter are much more dangerous, sometimes taking more than 5 people to hold down a patient.
The drug causes users to experience an extreme high for days without sleep, followed by paranoia, psychosis and rage as they come down. It has been linked to a surge in violent attacks, including murders and road accidents.
The methamphetamine drug called ice is the drug of choice among young people, and so powerful that it can take just one hit for its users to become addicted.
Authorities warn of an “ice epidemic”; the number of ambulance call-outs to ice users has multiplied, especially in regional country towns.
In the state of Victoria, the state’s support lines have been flooded with calls for help and the number of people seeking face-to-face assistance from support services has also risen. In 2012, methamphetamine overtook heroin as the drug injected most often.
The easy accessibility of ice makes it a recipe for disaster. Young addicts say it is socially accepted as a party drug and widely used with alcohol.
While alcohol-related patients far outweigh ice users in hospital emergency departments, medical staff say the latter are much more dangerous, sometimes taking more than 5 people to hold down a patient.
The drug causes users to experience an extreme high for days without sleep, followed by paranoia, psychosis and rage as they come down. It has been linked to a surge in violent attacks, including murders and road accidents.
No comments:
Post a Comment