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Speed claims more addicts
Mark Buttler
August 21, 2006 12:00am
TWICE as many drug users are hooked on amphetamines than are addicted to heroin, police say.
And there is growing concern at the vast numbers taking to the violence-inducing methamphetamine known as ice.
A surge in the drug's popularity is feared to be linked to hundreds of violent crimes statewide and rising numbers of cases of psychosis.
Det-Insp Steven Smith of the Victoria Police drug taskforce said ice was an extremely hazardous amphetamine in its purest form.
Det-Insp Smith said it was highly addictive and could generate a dangerous mix of violent urges, paranoia, irrational feelings and increased strength in users.
He said it was believed most ice was being imported from SouthEast Asia in huge "maxi-labs" rather than being made here.
Det-Insp Smith said one factory found last month in Malaysia was capable of producing 60kg of the drug every day.
Similar factories had been found in Fiji, Thailand and Indonesia.
A leading counsellor said that in 37 years' experience with the drug scene, he had never seen anything to rival the damage caused by ice.
Richard Smith, of the Raymond Hader Clinic, said he was seeing increasing numbers of young people needing help.
Mr Smith said there had also been a surge in the number of despairing parents visiting to get answers to how to deal with sons and daughters being destroyed by ice.
"This is the worst epidemic I've seen. It's driving people insane," he said.
Doctors have reported an increasing risk level from violent patients addicted to ice.
From Herald Sun