Hard drug problems exposed

The health and justice systems, governments and families have good reason to step up the important fight against illicit drugs. New figures from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission reveal Australians’ soaring use of methyl­amphetamine (including ice or crystal meth), cocaine, MDMA and heroin. Spending on the substances has soared by $2bn a year to $11.3bn, David Murray reported on Tuesday. Such drugs are destructive, potentially deadly and closely tied to organised crime. The most alarming revelation in the ACIC report was the steep rise in the use of methyl­amphetamine, a potent central nervous system stimulant that is lethally addictive. It accounted for 76 per cent of the money spent. Addicts are prone to serious physical and mental health problems. It is also associated with violent criminal offending.

The report, based on expert analysis of wastewater, showed the problems are nationwide. Consumption of meth, which is injected, swallowed, smoked or snorted, has jumped by 92.5 per cent in Tasmania in three years. Over the same period, its use was up 75.9 per cent in Queensland, 53.2 per cent in Victoria, 48.7 per cent in the ACT and 29.5 per cent in the Northern Territory. Despite slight drops in consumption, Western Australia and South Australia remain the nation’s meth capitals. Victorians consumed almost half the nation’s heroin in 2018-19. NSW dominated the cocaine market, but usage soared in every state. Queenslanders’ use of MDMA, or ecstasy, a so-called party drug, soared by 132.1 per cent.

The billions of dollars squandered on illicit drugs generate profits for the sole benefit of organised crime groups, ACIC chief executive ­Michael Phelan wrote. The drugs had “a devastating impact on everyday Australians’’.

There are no easy answers. On the supply side, law-enforcement agencies seized almost a third of the heroin needed to meet national demand in 2017-18. They also seized about half the cocaine and meth to meet national demand and about double the MDMA, suggesting dealers stockpile supplies. The problem is international. A year ago, Murray reported that the success of Australian Federal Police in disrupting ice manufacturers and traffickers in China had meant a shift by suppliers to Myanmar. Outlawed motorcycle gangs with links to overseas drug syndicates also remain a serious threat, through amphetamine production and drug-trafficking.

On the demand side, illicit drugs linked to psychosis and mental health problems, especially among young people, must be discouraged. That includes cannabis, which the ACT foolishly legalised last year. The most harmful drugs, such as meth, are also major drivers of family violence, attacks on strangers and robberies.

Users seeking help need more support. Last month, the NSW special commission of inquiry into crystal meth said that between 200,000 and 500,000 people nationwide sought treatment for alcohol and drug abuse each year, but most did not receive it. The commission, controversially, recommended the decriminalisation of illicit drugs. The Berejiklian government will respond later this year. But, wisely, it has ruled out contentious proposals such as expanding medically supervised injecting clinics and pill testing at music festivals. Leniency based on groupthink is no solution to an extensive and growing drug scourge.