Kids, 13, hooked on flood of speed
REGINA TITELIUS
WA children as young as 13 are developing harmful addictions to amphetamines, making it the State's number one drug problem for police and health services, according to authorities.
The flood of cheap amphetamines, or speed, has unleashed health problems bigger than those associated with other drugs.
Police are busting backyard laboratories at the rate of one a week in a battle to disrupt supplies of the drug that doctors and health experts say is socially toxic because it produces severe psychiatric problems.
With schoolchildren able to buy hits for as little as $40, hospitals and mental health services are straining to keep up with patients with amphetamine-linked problems.
The full extent of the health crisis is masked by the low death rate from amphetamine abuse compared to the death rate from using heroin.
In 1998, there were 78 overdose deaths in WA, most from heroin abuse. Last year, there were 36 deaths, with heroin causing six.
Authorities say other than immediate health risks from amphetamine abuse, which include heart failure and strokes, there are long-term mental health problems, in particular psychosis and depression.
The police organised crime squad has increased efforts to disrupt clandestine laboratories. Last year, 57 laboratories were discovered, a big jump from five in 1998.
Bikie gangs remain at the forefront of the amphetamine trade in WA, with two gang leaders behind bars over possession of amphetamines and a third charged last month with possession of amphetamines.
Royal Perth Hospital director of emergency medicine Frank Daly said amphetamine-related abuse accounted for about one per cent of emergency ward patients - about 400 people a year.
"It's our number one drug problem. The health risks and complications are far greater than heroin," Dr Daly said. "About 40 per cent of people presenting with amphetamine use require psychiatric referrals."
He said amphetamine patients also accounted for the majority of violent attacks against staff.
"Amphetamine abuse is a drain on our health system and a drain on our society," Dr Daly said.
North Metropolitan Mental Health director Peter Wynn Owen, who is based at Graylands Hospital, said amphetamines were socially toxic because users developed severe paranoid psychosis, which alienated them from friends and family.
He said the large case load from amphetamine abuse was further stretching mental health services which were unable to meet demand.
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Organised crime squad officer-in-charge Roger Beer said amphetamine use crossed socioeconomic boundaries and was being used by "family type people".
"A lot of people steered away from intravenous drugs such as heroin because of the junkie tag. But over time, people have adapted and shifted the parameters of what's acceptable," Sen. Sgt Beer said.
National Drug Research Institute director Steve Allsop said people did not perceive amphetamines as a "real" drug and were in denial about the detrimental affects. He said GPs were often the first line of contact for users and they should be better equipped to help.
There also needed to be more community education of the drugs' harmful effects, more drug services, emergency medical services and psychiatric care.
Link : http://www.thewestaustralian.com.au/20060213/news/general/tw-news-general-home-sto133435.html