It's one of the most addictive of all drugs, and its impact is savage. Crystal meth, or ice, is a  growing scourge across Victoria.

By MADDISON FUHRMANN

“We know a guy who was manufacturing ice in his home and his meth lab exploded. He ended up with burns to 70 per cent of his body. He has spent the past two years in and out of hospital and rehab. He has had numerous skin grafts and fingers removed. He is extremely lucky to be alive. Yet there are still members of his family taking ice. What makes people stop or change?”

It is a candid insight into drug addiction,  vividly told by Youth for Christ Gippsland counsellor Denise Spink.

If serious injury, jail, complete self-destruction, and even death, are not deterrents for ice use, then what is? Ms Spink says cheap thrills and easy money are more important to addicts than their lives.

Crystal methamphetamine – or “ice” – is a synthetic stimulant that hooks users with feelings of euphoria. Users can smoke the crystal through a pipe or melt it down and inject themselves using a needle.

Ice use can cause paranoia and aggression, which can make users more susceptible to violence and in some cases, suicide.

Ice is often “cooked” inside people’s homes in unventilated conditions, using flammable and toxic chemicals. People are gambling with their lives to manufacture ice. The experts say addiction is to blame.

Public health organisation Penington Institute project leader Crios O’Mahony says ice triggers the release of dopamine in the brain, which leads the person using the drug to feel pleasure, but with ongoing use, that changes. The institute deals with dangerous substance abuse, both legal and illegal.

“Ice is the strongest form of methamphetamine available,” Mr O’Mahony says. “Your brain starts associating the pleasure with using ice so it’s tricked into wanting to use it again and again. Then it gets really nasty.

“Heavy, prolonged use causes problems with movement and the way you understand the world. So [the brain] tries to take control of the situation by shutting down those receptors – the pleasure switches. If you can’t feel pleasure in everyday things and you associate pleasure with ice, then you’re going to use it more and more.”

A recent report by research company Turning Point, showed ambulance call-outs for crystal methamphetamine incidents in regional Victoria rose by almost 200 per cent from 77 to 221 between 2011 and 2013.

Ice in Gippsland

Ms Spink says ice has become a “huge issue” in many regional areas throughout Victoria, including Gippsland.

“This is probably due to the fact that it can be manufactured locally and they do not have to go to the metropolitan area,” Ms Spink says.

“While there is easy money to be made from making ice, the manufacturers will keep making it. While it is easy to be obtained and is so addictive, people will keep taking it. As to where the fault lies: which comes first, the chicken or the egg?”

Morwell Police Acting Supt Mark Langhorn says the cause of the Gippsland ice problem lies with both the supplier and those demanding the drug.

“It is a matter of supply and demand,” A/Supt Langhorn says. “As this demand grows from the users you see the increase in suppliers and manufacturers wanting to get a slice of the action.

“Anecdotal evidence suggests that ice is a relatively inexpensive drug compared to heroin and cocaine. Given the lower socio-economic status of areas such as the Latrobe Valley, it is likely ice is used more widely in these areas due to the cost.”

A/Supt Langhorn says the legal implications for ice possession and distribution are crystal clear: if someone is caught with ice, they will be arrested.

“In the first instances there are processes in place to assist with first-time offenders, which are referrals to support agencies to assist with drug use,” he says.

“If you are caught reoffending the next option is a court appearance before a magistrate who determines your fate. The cycle then continues ... eventually a conviction will follow and at some point the possibility of a custodial sentence.”

According to Victoria Police’s annual crime statistics report released in August this year, drug-related offences in Latrobe increased from 447  in 2012-13 to 633 in 2013-14, an increase of 41.6 per cent.

The Victorian Coalition Government has taken a step towards combating ice use in Gippsland, with Minister for Mental Health Mary Wooldridge announcing $34 million to improve access to treatment and support for ice use and other drug addictions in regional areas.

“In addition, we are putting more police on the streets, as well [we have] established a frontline police taskforce targeting illicit drug manufacturing and distribution,” Ms Wooldridge said.

“This investment by the Coalition Government is going to make a very significant difference to responding to the issue of ice across the state.”