By Jeremy Sollars
Around 100 interested locals turned out to a public forum on the ice problem in the Warwick and Stanthorpe areas, held at the Warwick Town Hall on Tuesday 6 June this week.
The forum was hosted by Federal MP for Maranoa David Littleproud, as part of a series of ice forums he is holding around his electorate.
Community sector workers dealing directly with ice users and their families, along with local business people and interested residents attended the forum.
As previously reported in the Free Times, ice usage is rife in regional and rural communities, with many small towns – including Warwick and Stanthorpe – struggling with a lack of workers skilled in drug counselling and drug-user welfare and recovery support.
Mr Littleproud said to those at the forum he found it “scary” he was the only federal parliamentarian undertaking public consultation on ice and that he was prompted to do so due to his concern Maranoa was “missing out” on federal funding to tackle the ice scourge through the government’s Primary Health Network (PHN) initiative.
He said he would channel learnings from his public forums into his negotiations with the PHN over initiatives to combat drugs in Maranoa.
Also at the forum were PHN chief executive officer Simone Finch, Wendy Agar from the Sunrise Way rehab centre in Toowoomba, local State Member Lawrence Springborg and Sergeant Shane Reid of the Warwick police.
Sgt Reid told the forum that with most ice – otherwise known as crystal meth or methamphetamine – now entering Australia from China the number of backyard ‘cooking labs’ had decreased – with Queensland five years ago being the state where the highest number of labs had been detected – and therefore on the ground enforcement and arrest of drug makers, dealers and users was less effective these days.
As Sgt Reid said, police “are not going to be able to arrest our way out of this problem”.
“One of the key areas we need to look at is education for children about drug use,” Sgt Reid said.
“There are children as young as 13, 14 and 15 using ice, so we need to look at education about the drug even in primary school.
“Your local police are dealing every day with the flow-on effects of ice, including domestic violence.”
Sunrise Way’s Wendy Agar told the forum the Toowoomba facility had 20 beds for recovering ice and other drug users and access to such facilities for people in towns like Warwick and Stanthorpe was limited.
She also said the nearest detox facility for users here is in Brisbane.
Ice and other drug users in recovery first complete a five to seven-day detox in a suitable facility to rid their bodies of the chemicals, then typically embark on a six-month live-in rehab program at a facility such as Sunrise Way.
Ms Agar said most users relapsed several times before finally conquering their addiction.
Others issues raised at the public forum included the difficulty many users wishing to get off ice and other drugs found in accessing transport to get to appropriate recovery facilities, along with the link between drug use and mental health.
It was also suggested Queensland should reinstate the Drug Court, previously abolished by the LNP Newman Government in 2015.
The current Queensland ALP Government is considering the re-introduction of the Drug Court.
* Didn’t make it to the forum but still want to give your views on ice to David Littleproud MP? Send an email to david.littleproud.mp@aph.gov.au
