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News - Perth Drug Menace

Fry-d-

Fry-d-

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Oct 21, 1999
Messages
4,504
Location
Perth
Designer drug menace takes toll
By Grant Taylor and Ben Martin
ONE person a day is being admitted to Graylands Hospital with speed psychosis - a violent mental condition linked to the designer drug ice.
The drug, also known as methylamphetamine, crystal and glass, was rarely seen in Perth two years ago but health experts and police now consider it the biggest drug problem facing the State.
The rise in its popularity has been linked to an 18-month heroin drought across Australia.
One in five mental hospital admissions are linked to ice, which can cause hallucinations and severe paranoia.
Sufferers often believe their homes are bugged and that they are under constant surveillance. The paranoia can result in violent outbursts, and can continue for life.
In extreme cases, patients believe they have bugs crawling under their skin and can tear their flesh open trying to remove them.
One drug user told The West Australian he knew of some dealers who refused to sell ice because of its impact. Its use is most common among those aged between 18 and 25. Before November 2000, police had never seized ice in WA, but in the past three months they have confiscated almost 10kg with a street value of $5 million.
The Department of Health's acting director of joint services development, Bill Saunders, said the methylamphetamine problem was putting the health system under enormous strain.
"This epidemic has really only happened in the last year . . .and I think we have all been caught a bit by surprise," he said.
Like the less potent amphetamines, methylamphetamine gives users a feeling of wellbeing and confidence, but it can be up to 10 times stronger.
It works by stimulating the production of dopamine in the brain, a chemical which regulates pleasure. "It gives a feeling of authority, wellbeing, power and confidence to do things you wouldn't normally do," Dr Saunders said.
"But the down side is you can't sleep the next day and you feel lousy and tend to use again to make yourself feel better.
"One of the problems with not sleeping is you start to lay in bed and start to imagine things.
"So what we are seeing in clinical practice is people who are highly suspicious and highly paranoid."
Drug and alcohol office director of clinical education and research Steve Allsop said using ice could also exacerbate pre-existing mental illnesses.
"If you are vulnerable to mental health problems it is very unwise to use methylamphetamine," he said.
Most patients respond well to anti-psychotic medication, but can remain depressed and suicidal for months because of the lower level of dopamine in their system.
Stressful situations and the use of other drugs can also trigger symptoms to recur.
Taken from:The West Australian
This is something I actually do feel strongly about as I myself have seen people partying with this stuff unaware of its strength and going a little to far. Lets get one thing clear tho, this is about methamphetamines not ICE as they keep refering to. I still stand by ICE being a completely different chemical to meth.
The amount of meth hitting perth streets over the last 6 months has steadily been increasing, along with its strength. Problem is there is a lot of people treating this potent meth as speed and as a result people take to much and the paranoia as described in the article takes hold. I do not agree with all of the article but I do beleive people need to be a lot more careful with unknown chemicals. I'll add to this later.
Click to expand...
 
*enthusiastic applause*
the designer drug ice.
The drug, also known as methylamphetamine, crystal and glass
They've won me - IMHO it's a well written article, and at least they spelt out what they were talking about from the start (OK so ICE as we know it isn't meth, but many people in Australia refer to meth as ice... which doesn't make it right - but nobody knows what 4-methyl aminorex is either so I guess they'd use the term Shabu or U4Euh for that particular chemical).
Quite a decent report on the effects of a meth-charged city :) And, I agree with the above comments.
BigTrancer :)
[ 18 April 2002: Message edited by: BigTrancer ]
Click to expand...
 
Yeah I do feel Meth is somewhat abused in that people go way overboard on it and yes have seen the visible sign's of paraonia, agitation etc. But one thing I find weird Myself and quite a few other poeple I know can sleep quite easily on meth (Yes tested with supreme), not straight away mind you but a few hours after the last dose. You get some funky dreams but usually I wake feeling fresh.
 
I must say that this is a well written article. I also agree that people take meth a little too light heartedly.
I've stoped using meth because I would feel depressed for weeks - and I meen sevear depression. I only use small amounts of meth (I prefer speed) to help me study.
 
in the "other drugs" forum theres a thread about meth psychosis stories. not really relevant but funny none the less.
web page
has made me realize how sane i am
[ 18 April 2002: Message edited by: kingdory ]
 
Considering the normally shit reporting on drugs by The West, a good article.
 
well written article, to any1 using ice... get off the shit it is evil...and in the end youll loose out...
 
Not a bad article but I think that most of the symptoms they have described are only really associated with excessive use. They make it sound like if you have meth once, you will start hallucinating and think you have bugs under your skin. While thats probably not impossible, I think that it's extrememly unlikely. Speed psychosis is only really likely for users who stay up on days on end cranking non stop.
 
But that is why ice is so dangerous.
Its 90-95% methylamphetamine compared with the 30-50% meth commonly sold as "base" or far less concentrations found in street speed.
It is also yet to be determined if this stuff from the Golden Triangle contains anything else, and exactly what type of meth it is. (D-meth from ephedrine or DL-meth from P2P)
Whilst the D is one required for all the desirable effects, whose to say the L doesnt have further unknown and very deleterious side effects; which those that stick to pfed-meth arent experiencing.
Also as ice is so clean compared with your typical "home-cooked" base its the sort of substance that a user may tend to have more of as it feels that good, and doesnt seem to have any negative effects, until its too late.
Users suddenly find they have been awake for 3 days, maybe had only 5 very modest lines (=cheap) and eaten nothing, whilst having no idea where all that time went.
I have known a few people with varying levels of speed addiction - there is no doubt in my mind that had it of been ice they had their hands on it would have been all over long before they could have pulled themselves out of it; which thankfully they have.
 
Originally posted by junga:
well written article, to any1 using ice... get off the shit it is evil...and in the end youll loose out...
Can I just comment here... This may be a bit off topic but I have to say it.
These kind of comments on this board fucking suck. It makes you a hypocrit, I bet when you read an article that says "Ecstacy <or drug of choice> is bad, it WILL kill you", you get all up on ur high horse saying that it's crap and it's your body or some other crap.
If someone chooses to use a drug, it's none of our business. Ice may very well be exceptionally fucking dangerous, but all we can do is help them to make an informed and educated decision. This is first and foremost an information and harm minimisation website, of which comments like these are neither.
Sorry if I've come across a bit aggressive, but I'm sick of seeing pillers go on about how evil some drugs are (heroin mostly), then go and chuck 10 pills down their throats.
/end rant
Click to expand...
 
eeerr mate go back to your hole, cos its where u belong. i was just making a comment and if my comment really bugged u that much , go get some help cos it looks like your 8 yrs old. my comments were made to help ppl....sometime by using strong words it has more effect, i cant see any other reason why i would of said it. and whos to say i pop pills...no1, so get your facts straight mate.
maybe even i was speaking from experience.
[ 28 April 2002: Message edited by: junga ]
 
It's a bit hard to take someone seriously when they sound like a tabloid newspaper...
to any1 using ice... get off the shit it is evil... --> "evil"... No shit? I always thought Evil was a paedophile in a bloodstained clown suit. Go figure.
BigTrancer ;)
 
junga - grow up a little, you just look like a wanker acting macho. No particular drug is so "evil" or will make you "lose" - ALL drugs have the possibility of being "evil" and making you "lose" if you don't use responsibily or have educated yourself - that is the purpose of BL, not hysteria. Drug users demonising drugs doesn't help our cause any when we are supposed to be the "tolerant and educated" ones.
BT - i hope you've dry cleaned the suit, i've got my nephew's 4th birthday party next weekend ;) .
 
No!! Ice is goooooooooood!!!!
Anyways, we don't get proper 4-DM whatever it is in Perth.
It's just big fuck-off meth crystals. Right??
[Edit: Do you mean 4-MAR? I guess the only way to know is Mass Spectrometry or Gas Chromatography. BigTrancer]
[ 29 April 2002: Message edited by: BigTrancer ]
 
A couple of things...
$5 million for 10k = 500 a gram. Who the hell pays that?
Meth is commonly understood as being 5 times more potent than amphetamines, rather than 10 times.
 
supaspeed this is an internet forum , any type of person can use it, so dont bothere complaining bout what ppl do, because their entitled to do it, if i think it is evil, then i will say it's evil and personaly i dont care if u think what i mtyping is rubbish, cos for all i know, u could be a junkie.
 
sure, but being judgemental is not welcome. people need to be able to come in here with their drugs questions regardless of what type of drug it is, without fear of being judge as "evil", or anything else.
we've been thru this debate a number of times and it boils down to this; free speech only goes so far, if you are attacking other people for their choices you are not welcome here.
 
Junga, I myself have been caught out speaking my mind on bluelight (and been heavily flamed for it too). If you look at the forum guidelines you will notice that free-speech does not apply to this moderated forum.
If it was a complete free-speech forum, you'd have continuous flame wars and it would be uncomfortable for those wanting to touch delicate subjects.
 
well in 'defence' to the $500 per gram. Well a scenario - first buy pays $10 per gram off the stuff in bulk.. he then sells it off to another buyer for $30 per gram - split , and it gets passed along the line until the end user pays *whatever price*. So the total price paid by everyone could be $500 per gram (of course, major ball park figure) but its the only logical conclusion I come to to get this obscenely high price (for down my way anyway?) unless they are just making up a nice round figure number to make it sound bigger than it is..
 
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