The drug first came into this country by way of American motorcycle gang associates. It’s been 13 years since police first stumbled across one of its labs. It has gone from a stimulant used by night clubbers to take their experience to a new level, to causing an epidemic that’s threatening teenagers and their families across the country: Methamphetamine (P).
The allure is the instant high it gives, the euphoric and often instant sense of escape users feel as they inhale the smoke of a lethal substance. A substance first used by Japanese kamikaze pilots before suicide missions during World War II. However, it is not just the direct effect the drug is having on teenage users causing concern. There is also concern over the indirect affect it is having on them through their parent’s association to the substance. Whether they are manufacturers, dealers, or users, the impression left on their children is a life long one. Many are unaware of the damage it is causing, the damage they are inflicting upon themselves, until one day they are hit with a sudden and often brutal realization.
It is no longer seen as a “drug just used by criminals and gang members,” as the Methcon Group Limited website describes, but a drug that can be “found in large cities, small towns, rural communities, schools and businesses.” It is being used by people in all walks of life including those “such as high earning professionals, sportsmen and woman, celebrities and children and ordinary New Zealanders.”
The New Zealand Herald over the past few weeks has been looking at the effect this drug is having on our nation. Stories have been submitted by those who have experienced the effects first hand. One story was that of a young girl whose first run in with the drug was at the age of 14. Kristy Pearson first tried it at a friend’s party. She described its effect as making her feel “on top of the world”. “Home life wasn't great at all and school wasn't going too well and this made me feel amazing,” she said. A few months after her first experience with it she was being used by gangs to deliver getting paid each day with enough to feed her own addiction. Her realization came when she saw a friend, also addicted, ripping holes out of his arm with his teeth. Eventually she managed to get free from its hold, and is now working towards a better future. Kristy’s story is not an unusual one, there are many more around, we just haven’t heard them.
If you would like to read more stories from the Herald on this subject follow the link below,
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/p-epidemic/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=605
The allure is the instant high it gives, the euphoric and often instant sense of escape users feel as they inhale the smoke of a lethal substance. A substance first used by Japanese kamikaze pilots before suicide missions during World War II. However, it is not just the direct effect the drug is having on teenage users causing concern. There is also concern over the indirect affect it is having on them through their parent’s association to the substance. Whether they are manufacturers, dealers, or users, the impression left on their children is a life long one. Many are unaware of the damage it is causing, the damage they are inflicting upon themselves, until one day they are hit with a sudden and often brutal realization.
It is no longer seen as a “drug just used by criminals and gang members,” as the Methcon Group Limited website describes, but a drug that can be “found in large cities, small towns, rural communities, schools and businesses.” It is being used by people in all walks of life including those “such as high earning professionals, sportsmen and woman, celebrities and children and ordinary New Zealanders.”
The New Zealand Herald over the past few weeks has been looking at the effect this drug is having on our nation. Stories have been submitted by those who have experienced the effects first hand. One story was that of a young girl whose first run in with the drug was at the age of 14. Kristy Pearson first tried it at a friend’s party. She described its effect as making her feel “on top of the world”. “Home life wasn't great at all and school wasn't going too well and this made me feel amazing,” she said. A few months after her first experience with it she was being used by gangs to deliver getting paid each day with enough to feed her own addiction. Her realization came when she saw a friend, also addicted, ripping holes out of his arm with his teeth. Eventually she managed to get free from its hold, and is now working towards a better future. Kristy’s story is not an unusual one, there are many more around, we just haven’t heard them.
If you would like to read more stories from the Herald on this subject follow the link below,
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/p-epidemic/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=605
Other Links
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Kristy's story - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/p-epidemic/news/article.cfm?c_id=605&objectid=10573542
MethCon Group Limited - http://www.methcon.co.nz/
Background information - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/pharmaceuticals/news/article.cfm?c_id=278&objectid=10572572&pnum=5
---------------
Kristy's story - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/p-epidemic/news/article.cfm?c_id=605&objectid=10573542
MethCon Group Limited - http://www.methcon.co.nz/
Background information - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/pharmaceuticals/news/article.cfm?c_id=278&objectid=10572572&pnum=5
Teenage drug use in New Zealand is such a massive problem now. You only have to look at the NZ Herald articles as you refer to them to get an idea. Millie Holmes is a prime example of drug addiction, i think she was addicted to P, no matter what Paul Holmes did or said for her she couldn't come off it, waaaaay too addictive! I think teenage drug use in new zealand needs to start being addressed now - as there is no better time than the present. great blog topic =)
ReplyDeleteThere was an issue with Fairfield College earlier this year after the harvesting season for marijuana, where joints were being sold to school students and the drug dealers were mixing the marijuana with P, so it would become more addictive. People don't understand how nasty these drugs are, we did a program called DARE when i was at intermediate and i dont think they run it anymore but it was very influential as it taught you at a young age about drugs and the effects they have on you and what you should do if someone approached you with them etc. Maybe this could be carried on thorugh high school? just like sex education is, they are equally as important.
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