The Ice Epidemic

The use of the club drug ICE is now at epidemic levels and is more dangerous than HEROIN.

Using ICE for the first time led to the death of a young Queenslander.

ICE is highly addictive and is cheap and easy to obtain with Kings Cross in Sydney having plenty of supply.

Claims that 70,000 young Australians are addicted to ICE and are flooding the psychiatric units at public hospitals.

ICE causes major physical changes to a young persons appearance with continued use.

Psychosis and delusions for ICE addicts cause medical chaos for health professionals that have to deal with users.

(Source: The Ice Epidemic, 60 Minutes, Channel 9, 10 September 2006)

DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-

The long term mental health of ICE users poses a significant crisis for psychiatric units and a potential blow out of health costs.

Because ICE is such a new club drug the long term effects on users has not been researched but health professionals have extensive experience on the short term impact on users.

Experts claim that ICE can be up to 20 times stronger than SPEED.

The Australian Crime Commission claims that there are 102,600 regular ICE users in Australia being supplied by highly organized criminal syndicates mainly producing in Queensland.

ICE use causes chronic depression, violent aggressive and irrational behavior, paranoid psychosis, panic, delusions and hallucinations.

The MOST effective way to stop Australians using ICE is to reduce the demand by diverting users into detoxification and rehabilitation.