NEWS: National Leadership Forum on Ice

[lil angel15]

Ice is no party drug, says Ellison
December 14, 2006 - 10:29AM

The term "party drug" should be banned in Australia, Justice Minister Chris Ellison says, ahead of a crisis meeting on the drug, ice.

Federal, state and New Zealand ministers are attending the forum in Sydney focusing on the drug crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride, known commonly as ice.

The forum will discuss international trends in the use and trafficking of the drug and prevention and education options.

Senator Ellison said one thing that should be looked at was omitting names which made drugs sound attractive.

"One of the things I'd like to see outlawed in Australia is the use of the term 'party drugs' or 'recreational drugs' because we need to get through to young Australians that drugs are dangerous," Senator Ellison told the Nine Network.

He said ice was only a very new drug but had proved to be extremely dangerous.

"It is one of the greatest challenges we face in the world of drugs and we shouldn't take our eye off the ball in relation to amphetamines generally, but ice is a pure form of that drug and it's a very dangerous drug," he said.

"This drug brings about very violent behaviour and that's where it differs from other drugs and makes it so dangerous."

The government has pledged $5.5 million to the rehabilitation of those addicted to ice, with the money coming from the proceeds collected from crime.

Senator Ellison said the government was prepared to spend much more on fighting this drug, and that would be discussed in the meeting.

"It's very important that we look at rehabilitating those who have an addiction but also law enforcement measures and education," he said.

However Senator Ellison said the federal government would not legalise injecting rooms.

"We think it's dangerous to mix your messages when you're dealing with educating young people against the dangers of drugs such as ice.

"There is no place in Australia for supervised injecting rooms ... whether it is heroin, ice or any other drug."

SMH

[EDIT: Posts split from Meth Media Watch thread. hoptis]

 

[lil angel15]

Warning on ice epidemic
Ruth Pollard Health Reporter
December 14, 2006

ON THE eve of the state summit on crystal methamphetamine use, a visiting US expert has warned governments must act to avert an epidemic like the one in the US, Asia and parts of Europe.

Had the US adopted needle and syringe programs or other measures proven to minimise harm, it might not now be facing the crisis of an estimated 1 million-plus ice users, John Grabowski, from the University of Texas, said.

"In the face of data regarding needle exchange, the US was unwilling to implement [such] programs, and as long as you put off programs which have demonstrated efficacy you're putting yourself behind," Professor Grabowski said.

The NSW Health Minister, John Hatzistergos, said today's summit included experts in illicit drugs, law enforcement and customs officers.

"It will focus on the issue of education and prevention, harm minimisation and law enforcement," he said.

Professor Grabowski's warning came as a new report by the Mental Health Council highlighting the dangers of cannabis use pointed to a substantially increased risk of mental illness as a result of drug use.

SMH

 

[hoptis]

Treatment trial for ice users
December 15, 2006

NSW is planning to conduct small-scale trials of a new treatment for methamphetamine addiction as part of its fight to stem the rising tide of harm caused by heavy use of drugs.

The treatment most likely to be used is dextroamphetamine, a synthetic substitute for methamphetamine, the Health Minister, John Hatzistergos, said.

"They will be very small trials for extreme-end users for whom other sorts of treatments have not been successful," he said at the National Leadership Forum on Ice yesterday.

In a communique released at the end of yesterday's meeting, participants committed to maintain a "balanced approach to deal with the harms arising from the misuse of amphetamine-type substances that focuses on social and health interventions as well as law enforcement".

The forum, which included state, territory and federal ministers, academics and front-line workers, also agreed to boost training for health, police and emergency service workers and provide more education about the drug's dangers in schools.

A uniform ban on the sale of the glass pipes used to smoke ice was not adopted by the forum, prompting criticism from the federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Christopher Pyne.

Ruth Pollard

Sydney Morning Herald

 

[hoptis]

States reject ice pipe ban
December 14, 2006

An ice pipe and, inset, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Christopher Pyne.

The states have rejected a federal MP's call for a uniform national ban on pipes used to smoke the drug ice.

Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Christopher Pyne raised the proposal at a crisis meeting of federal, state and New Zealand ministers in Sydney today to tackle the growing use of crystal methamphetamine, known as ice.

It is currently legal to sell pipes, glass containers that allow people to heat and inhale crystal methamphetamine, in the ACT, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Tasmania.

Mr Pyne said he was very disappointed the state and territory governments had rejected his plan for consistent national legislation.

"I would have hoped that something as basic as banning the implements that are used for smoking ice would have been something the states and territories would be prepared to do," he said.

"Unbelievably, they voted not to ban ice pipes. The message they gave me was they didn't really want to be told what to do by the commonwealth, which seems a particularly fragile excuse.

"It confirms my worse fears - today's meeting was more about talking and less about action."

About 80 per cent of people who use ice smoke it, Mr Pyne said, and smoking ice was an easy step from smoking cannabis.

"The proliferation of ice may be due, in part, to the fact that ice pipes allow users to attain an instant high and make it more accessible for first-time users," he said.

"Ice often leads to violent and psychotic behaviour in users and provides extraordinary challenges to front-line drug and alcohol rehabilitation workers."

Mr Pyne said he also had doubts that existing bans in Victoria, NSW, South Australia and Western Australia were being stringently enforced.

He said he planned to take his proposal to the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, which is also being held in Sydney tomorrow.

Federal Justice Minister Chris Ellison earlier today said ice was one of the greatest challenges in the world of drugs.

The government has today pledged $5.5 million to the rehabilitation of those addicted to ice, with the money coming from the proceeds collected from crime.

Senator Ellison said the government was prepared to spend much more on fighting this drug.

But Dr Andrew Keegan from the Australian Medical Association NSW branch called for greater focus on all methamphetamines.

"Ice is a harsh drug but it should not be isolated from the bigger picture," Dr Keegan said.

"Methamphetamines are a serious problem and coming into the party season there needs to be a greater awareness of the dangers of drug taking."

AAP

Sydney Morning Herald

 

[hoptis]

FACTSHEET

Ice
December 14, 2006

Patterns of ice use in Australia:

- A household survey indicated 63,000 people use methamphetamine (of which ice is one form) on a daily or weekly basis

- Other research suggests the total is closer to 102,600, of whom 72,700 are dependent users

- Since 2001, Australia has experienced a shortage of available heroin and a corresponding increase in the use of methamphetamine

- 58 per cent of injecting drug users reported using methamphetamine in the previous six months

- One in five users has sold the drug on a monthly basis in the past 12 months.

- After heroin, methamphetamine is the drug of choice for regular injecting users.

- 80 per cent of ice users smoke the drug, which produces the most immediate effect compared to injecting or swallowing the drug

Source: National Leadership Forum on Ice, Sydney

AAP

Sydney Morning Herald

Poll: Should ice pipes be banned?

 

[hoptis]

True ice use hidden, ministers say
By Vincent Morello
December 14, 2006 04:10pm

COMPREHENDING the prevalence of the drug ice was just as difficult as fighting the problem, Australian health ministers said today.

Estimates of how many people in Australia use crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride, also known as ice, range from 63,000 to 102,000, separate reports suggest.

"It's difficult to be able to quantify it because the ones we come into contact with, of course, are only a portion of those people who actually use the substance," NSW Health Minister John Hatzistergos said.

"One of the important aspects of the discussion is the need to ensure that our data collection and our research capacity is improved."

Mr Hatzistergos joined his state and territory counterparts and other federal MPs today at a National Leadership Forum on Ice in Sydney.

They listened to health and crime experts from Australia and the United States about the trends, manufacture, trafficking and use of the drug.

The one-day forum comes ahead of tomorrow's Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, where they will try to develop national strategies to combat the growing prevalence of ice.

As well as developing national policing strategies, the health ministers hope to look at education, prevention and treatment strategies for possible expansion.

Mr Hatzistergos said NSW hoped to trial the substitute drug dextroamphetamine sulphate to treat ice addiction. It has proved successful in the US.

"They'll be very small trials for extreme end users, basically for whom other forms of treatment have not been successful," he said.

More methamphetamine treatment clinics would be established if trial clinics at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney and The John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle were successful, Mr Hatzistergos said.

Federal Customs Minister Chris Ellison said stopping the importation of ice or its raw ingredients meant catching many shipments of smaller quantities.

"We live in South-East Asia, which is the biggest amphetamine-type stimulant producer in the world and second biggest producer in relation to heroin."

He also called for people to stop calling ice and other deadly substances "party drugs" or "recreational drugs".

"We're talking about drugs that involve sink cleaners (and) ketamine, which is a horse tranquiliser - dangerous substances which can kill people," Senator Ellison said.

News.com.au

 

[hoptis]

Similar to above.

Unknown number of ice addicts, say ministers
By Clara Pirani and John Stapleton
December 15, 2006 12:00

THE lack of evidence on the number of Australians addicted to crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride, also know as ice, was hampering efforts to tackle the problem, state and territory health ministers admitted yesterday.

Estimates of the number of people in Australia using ice vary from 63,000 to 102,000, a national forum on ice held in Sydney heard yesterday.

NSW Health Minister John Hatzistergos said the states needed better information in order to develop evidence-based strategies to tackle the spread of ice addiction. "It's difficult to be able to quantify it because the ones we come into contact with, of course, are only a portion of those people who actually use the substance," he said.

"One of the important aspects of the discussion is the need to ensure that our data collection and our research capacity is improved."

He said authorities would follow the progress of long-term ice users involved in trials of various treatment alternatives that began last month at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney and the John Hunter Hospital.

Participants will initially undergo counselling and receive practical advice on how to stop using ice. Over the next year, about 30 heavy users will also be given dexamphetamine - a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Health ministers agreed that a national approach was needed to stop the growing use of the drug.

The states endorsed a list of strategies including routine assessments of drug law enforcement, health education initiatives and advertising to target users.

However, the states rejected a proposal by federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health Christopher Pyne to ban the pipes used to smoke ice.

It is legal to sell the pipes in the ACT, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Tasmania.

Mr Pyne said he was disappointed that state and territory ministers had rejected the proposal and added he planned to raise the issue at the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy, which will be held in Sydney today.

Yesterday a distraught father at Bidura Children's Court said the court was putting his 16-year-old ice-addicted daughter at risk by constantly releasing her back into the community. The girl was facing charges of aggravated robbery and possession of an illegal drug.

But the father, Trevor, said his daughter would be dead by the time she was 18 if the court kept releasing her.

Daily Telegraph

 

[hoptis]

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/12/14/icepipe260.jpg

Oh, and I just wanted to be the first to say that's a great graphic which makes it look like Christopher Pyne is smoking ice.

 

[ilikeacid]

Chris Pyne

and smoking ice was an easy step from smoking cannabis

8( Is he serious? Im so glad such an informed, wise man is in charge of Federal health 8)

 

[gher]

Oh, and I just wanted to be the first to say that's a great graphic which makes it look like Christopher Pyne is smoking ice.

I bet that one backfired.

This is just the same rhetoric that these people have been spouting for years. *yawn*