Vicious drug's grip widens

By KEVIN TAYLOR

New research on the drug P has found that its use is spreading beyond the dance party subculture to the wider community.

Police and treatment workers say P is increasingly popular among students, teenagers, business people, young women, Maori, the poor and "boy racers".

The survey shows hardened users of P - the pure form of methamphetamine, or "speed" - are turning to needles to inject the drug, increasing its potency and the danger to themselves and those around them.

The drug has been cited in several horrendous crimes, including the murder of 6-year-old Coral-Ellen Burrows in the Wairarapa last year by her stepfather, Steven Williams.

A survey by Massey University's Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation, in Auckland, questioned drug enforcement officers and drug treatment workers late last year.

It confirmed that P was by far the most popular form of methamphetamine, with about 80 per cent of users taking it.

Lead researcher Chris Wilkins said the most worrying trend was the increased number of users injecting the drug.

Smoking P was also rising in popularity.

Injecting increased the risk for users and their partners, families and the community as it made the user more dangerous and unpredictable, said Dr Wilkins.

"Prevention of the spread of intravenous drug use within the methamphetamine-using population is an important priority."

The increased potency of the drug through injecting was more likely to lead to addiction and psychosis, he said.

There were also health problems associated with needle use.

"This is a fairly new thing. Two or three years ago most of methamphetamine sold was powder.

"Now what we have progressed to is a more potent drug that's smoked.

"The concern is that we then go on to a group of injecting drug-users."

Dr Wilkins said methamphetamine users often quickly developed a tolerance to the drug, and injecting overcame that.

But they had to use more and more to get the same effects.

Drug dealers were also developing marketing strategies to appeal to less wealthy groups.

For example, they were selling P in smaller weights to reduce the price.

A "point" or 0.1g of the drug has traditionally sold for $100. But P is now being sold in smaller weights for $20 to $50.

The survey also showed 75 per cent of enforcement officers and 56 per cent of treatment workers thought the drug had became easier to obtain over the last six months.

Superintendent Dave Trappitt, the police national planning and policy manager, said he was concerned that injecting users were taking a more potent form of the drug.

The survey was part of a wider research project on methamphetamine, costing about $200,000.

Mr Trappitt said it would give police a solid picture of the drug.

Work to come in the project includes a survey on the size of the drug's market and another questioning users.

Mr Trappitt said everyone now knew what methamphetamine could do, but police still wanted to know how big the problem was.

Dr Wilkins said methamphetamine use was still quite low compared with cannabis.

But in some age groups, such as the 18 to 29 bracket, more than 10 per cent had used methamphetamine in the past year.

"So although at a population level it's still quite low, in some age groups it's reasonably common."

Meth in NZ

* Police and drug treatment workers say methamphetamine use rose in the past six months.

* More people are injecting and smoking the drug, and it is becoming easier to get.

* A wider cross-section of people use P. They include teenagers, students, business people, young women, Maori, the poor and "boy racers".

* Cannabis tinny houses are increasingly selling the drug, and smaller weights are being sold.

Source: Massey University Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation

* For help about P, contact 0800 DARENZ (0800 327-369).

Herald Feature: The P epidemic