Methamphetamines

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:40): Methamphetamine use and addiction in South Australia today is amongst some of the highest levels in the world. Australians have spent an estimated $11.3  billion on methamphetamines, cocaine, MDMA and heroin from August 2018 to August 2019. Of this, $8.63 billion was spent on methamphetamines alone. Largely coinciding with the rising use of crystal forms of meth, these statistics reveal the radical damage drug abuse is having on our state.

Crystal meth is the most psychologically damaging, I am told, and addictive drug in widespread use today. It behaves differently to the other drugs, apparently, subjecting people to hallucinations and aggression and compelling them to high levels of violence during psychosis or commonly so. They become susceptible to a range of complex health issues, including memory loss, sleeping difficulties and paranoia, all of which exist long after the so-called high is gone.

The death rate involving methamphetamines was four times higher in 2019 than in the year 2000. Only 2 per cent of the users ever break free, with 98 per cent relapsing. So that is 98 per cent. The statistics, the numbers and the reality say it all and I firmly believe that something more needs to be done, something substantial.

The issues of drug addiction in South Australia are not confined to a singular democratic or stereotype. The Australian Institute for Health and Wellbeing states that in 2019 there was:

…little variation in the recent use of methamphetamines for those living in the lowest socioeconomic areas, compared with those living in the highest—1.4% and 1.5%, respectively.

In fact of all Australians using methamphetamines, 81 per cent of them are employed, so-called 'functioning addicts', leading an outwardly normal life.

According to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, between 2013 and 2014 approximately $5 billion was spent across Australia to do with the impacts of methamphetamines. This number includes the costs of the criminal justice system, premature deaths, road crash costs, and other similar quantitative figures. The strain created on government expenditure through workplace accidents, child mistreatment, rehabilitation and counselling services are all high-cost factors. It is probably not unreasonable to say that $5 million is just the tip of the iceberg.

The safety of those who are living near locations of illicit drug trade are clearly at risk. Often the most vulnerable who are affected by these behaviours are the children of the addicts themselves. In the wake of drug-related wreckage on families, people give precedence to attaining drugs in some cases over putting food on the table for their families or paying for their weekly living expenses.

Despite community usage in South Australia hitting an all-time low in October 2020, the use of methamphetamines is on the rise again. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has unquestionably affected drug dependency, with people reaching out to methamphetamines apparently as a coping mechanism to deal with isolation, uncertainty and issues of hardship.

It is also important to note that people living in 'remote' or 'very remote' areas are 2.1 times more likely than the general population to abuse methamphetamines. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 1.5 times more likely. The crossover between these two cohorts indicates the need to prioritise the provision of culturally approved services and facilities to these specific areas.

Despite these grave statistics, the Marshall Liberal government is working hard to change these facts. In cooperation with the national Liberal government, the Marshall Liberal government is implementing the 10-year National Drug Strategy—set between 2017 to 2026 right here in South Australia. Some $20 million from the national budget has also been allocated to provide rehabilitation services in rural and regional South Australia, with around $2.5 million set aside for each identifiable area of need.

Government-supported campaigns like 'The Story Behind the Stereotype' and 'Cracks in the Ice' have proven successful in reaching out to young people in schools and challenging the misconceptions of illicit drug use.

With $8.4 million in the 2021 budget assigned to provide treatment services for drug use this year, we are beginning to see the results of our investments. The use of methamphetamines in South Australia decreased significantly between 2016 and 2019, from 1.9 per cent to around 1 per cent. I commend the government for their hard work and commitment in this area and I fully expect and hope we will continue to see this kind of change in future for our state.