DRUG VIOLENCE SOLUTIONS
Drugs like speed and ICE are creating serious safety issues for health care staff.
Around 3 per cent of Australians over the age of 14 use the harmful drug at least once a year.
There are approximately 73,000 dependent speed and ICE users in Australia compared to 45,000 regular heroin users.
A recent Western Australian study found that amphetamine related presentations accounted for 1.2 per cent of hospital emergency department cases.
Speed and ICE users experience psychotic episodes with paranoia and hallucinations as well as aggression, agitation, depression and anxiety.
(Source: Media Release, Australian Medical Association 29 April 2008)
The Drug Advisory Council of Australia comments-
All emergency workers including health care staff, ambulance, police and others have to deal with violent speed and ICE users.
Speed and ICE users should be provided with detoxification and rehabilitation to get them drug free before any mental health problems occur.
Overseas successes in dealing with speed and ICE have proven that court ordered and supervised detoxification and rehabilitation to deal with the drug addiction is the only solution to protecting health workers.
Australia needs to adopt solutions that work and reduce the drug using population.
Removing the underlying drug addiction must be part of the solution.
More detoxification & rehabilitation that gets illicit drug users drug free.
Court ordered and supervised detoxification & rehabilitation.
Less illicit drug users, drug pushers and drug related crimes.
14/2008