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NEWS: Need for speed is greater than heroin

Flexistentialist

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Need for speed is greater than heroin
Sydney Morning Herald
By Ruth Pollard Health Reporter
July 28, 2005

The number of people in NSW dependent on methamphetamine, such as speed, far exceeds dependent heroin users.

This has increased the demand for drug-treatment services and placed further pressure on emergency workers.

A study released today by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of NSW finds that methamphetamine use is at a peak, at a similar level to heroin use in the mid-to-late 1990s. "We tended to think of methamphetamine as a recreational drug … we have never really had a good handle on how big the problem is," said the study's lead researcher, Rebecca McKetin. "This shows it is a sizeable problem."

The study found use of the common form of methamphetamine, known as speed, was very high, with one in 10 people reporting to have taken the drug.

Because most of the users inject the drug, the transmission of blood-borne infections such as hepatitis C and HIV was a strong risk, Dr McKetin told the Herald.

The side effects of prolonged use, including psychosis and violence, mean that mental health workers, police, emergency hospital departments and ambulance officers are increasingly confronted with difficult situations.

Dr McKetin said the growing popularity of the higher purity form of methamphetamine - known as ice, or crystal - also meant increasing incidents of psychosis in frequent users.

In NSW there were an estimated 19,900 regular heroin users, compared with estimates of 36,900 regular methamphetamine users, the study found.

The 2004 National Drug Strategy household survey said 3.2 per cent of people used the drug in the previous year, compared with 1.4 per cent who used heroin.

Dr McKetin said there was a lack of treatment available for users. People in Wollongong, the Hunter Valley and the Central Coast had the highest admission rates to treatment centres.

The director of drug and alcohol services at St Vincent's Hospital, Alex Wodak, said methamphetamine use had increased in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region since 1995.
 
In NSW there were an estimated 19,900 regular heroin users, compared with estimates of 36,900 regular methamphetamine users, the study found.

How do they define 'Regular'?
 
"Because most of the users inject the drug"

I don't know about that? :\
 
I'm guessing this report is based on NDARC research; eg:

http://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/ndarc.nsf/website/IDRS.bulletins.2005

The annual IDRS uses injecting drug users as a sentinal group to highlight problematic drug use. The report linked to above cites 74% of surveyed injecting drug users injecting methamphetamine (any form) over the past six months (median 22 days used over 180 days), compared to 69% reporting recent heroin use (median 72 days over 180 days).

Now - the IDRS only surveys injecting drug users, so it's a no-brainer that most people in that sample who used speed chose to inject it. The news article is a bit garbled in its facts - speed has always been the most popular illicit drug in Australia (apart from cannabis, of course :) ) - but I seriously doubt most speed users inject it - I even doubt most "regular" speed users inject it (but prove me wrong... I can take it)

NDARC also release research on their "Party Drug Initiative" (PDI) - there may be some other stuff there about speed use.... can't find it on their website...
 
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