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Drug Use The Major WA Crime Issue

Announcement posted by Integrity Sampling 02 Dec 2016

What do you think is the major crime issue facing Western Australia? Perhaps terrorism, domestic violence or bikies? Well, according to a recent survey, while these issues do concern many people they don’t make the number one spot, with drug use voted as the top law enforcement issue in the state.

The perhaps surprise result came in the WA Speaks survey, which gives Western Australians a chance to give their opinions on the major issues facing the state. The latest survey, involving nearly 9000 people, was published recently and one of the findings was the huge concern that drugs have for Western Australians.

In fact the concern of Western Australians over drug use is so huge that, according to PerthNow, 70% of the nearly 9000 survey respondents listed it as our biggest law enforcement issue.

And the number one drug on everyone’s lips is methamphetamines and particularly ICE. ICE is a concern right across Australia but particularly so in Perth and Western Australia, where the drug’s use is particularly high.

ICE is an especially insidious drug because it’s a more refined and pure type of methamphetamine (a man-made drug that can be prescribed by doctors for issues such as a hyperactivity deficit). This makes ICE fast acting and highly addictive, and the side effects can be serious.

In the PerthNow article, Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenanis quoted as saying, “(ICE) can cause violence, it can cause unemployment, and it fuels crimes such as burglary, robbery, theft and even murder — which has put enormous pressure on our courts and the legal system. Most devastatingly though it puts those that are most willing to help users — such as family members, emergency service operators including police, nurses, doctors and ambulance officers — at significant risk.”

One of the reasons for this is that ICE and other methamphetamines are stimulants, while other illicit drugs such as heroin and cannabis are depressants. While taking heroin and cannabis will slow down the messages travelling between the brain and the body, methamphetamines speeds these messages up.

In fact, in some cases, normally passive and responsible people who use ICE can become hyperactive, aggressive and violent. There’s even a term for this condition – ICE psychosis – because users can experience hallucinations and delusions and behave erratically.

NOTE: This article was written by Integrity Sampling, Australia’s leading workplace drug and alcohol management team. As part of its services, Integrity Sampling conducts drug testing Perth and Western Australian businesses. The company has more than 30 branches across Australia.