• By Ilse Pauw, Health24.com
“TIK” (crystal meth) is the latest buzzword in drug circles and is becoming increasingly popular among school children. The drug, known as the "stay-awake drug that makes you violent", has recently sparked a huge response from health authorities. Far more is being done to clamp down on dealers than with any other drug in South Africa.
Why such a huge response? According to Grant Jardine, director of the Cape Town Drug Counseling Centre (CTDCC), the increased rate of usage of crystal meth is dramatic. “It is something we haven’t seen before. It is the greatest challenge the CTDCC has ever had to face.” In 2002, less than 1% of the clients at the CTDCC took crystal meth as their primary drug. In 2003, the number increased to 5%. In May 2004, a third of the patients were users.
According to the CTDCC, over six months of use 94% of those who smoke meth become addicted.
Health professionals are concerned about the devastating effects of this drug on the user – among its many effects, crystal meth induces psychotic symptoms, such as seeing or hearing things that are not there, and violence, making it a far more dangerous drug than most others available in South Africa. “The danger with crystal meth is that it is attractive to non-typical drug users,” says Prof Charles Parry, researcher at the Medical Research Council (MRC).
It is attracting very young, first-time users. The South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (SENDU), which monitors drug use countrywide, found the greatest increase in users to be those under the age of 20 years. In 1996, 5% of people seeking treatment were under the age of 20. This shot up to 20-25% in 2003. Treatment centres such as the Crescent Clinic’s Chemical Dependency Unit are treating children as young as 13 for crystal meth addiction.
Crystal meth has also been marketed as a way of losing weight, making it popular among many women who would not normally take drugs, [and] health professionals are also concerned about the impact on long-term drug users. Ted Leggett, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, has done extensive research on gangsterism on the Cape Flats. He points out that crystal meth is becoming extremely popular amongst gang members. Hardened criminals taking drugs that induce violent behaviour is a cause for concern.
“Methamphetamine is seen as an ideal tonic to prepare gunmen for a hit, removing inhibitions, sharpening senses and fuelling aggression,” says Leggett. One could therefore expect an escalation of violence within this already violent sector of the population.
“Give me a straw, please?” If you ask this question in many parts, you may get a lot more than you bargained for. Crystal meth is typically sold in straws, one of which could cost you between R40 and R60. The drug can be found in many forms, from a fine powder to larger crystals. It can be snorted, orally ingested, injected or smoked – smoking being the most common method in South Africa.
On the street, crystal meth has many names, including “tuk-tuk”, "tik", "crystal", "straws" and "globes". It has also been called “Hitler’s drug”, because it was allegedly used by the Nazis as a “combat drug” to fuel aggression and help soldiers stay awake and remain focused for long periods. •
• By Anthony Matthews
I AM A RECOVERING gay crystal meth (and heroin) addict in Calgary, Alberta in Canada. Currently, our province - and not just the two
major metropolitan areas of Calgary and Edmonton, but smaller cities like Lethbridge, Red Deer and Grande Prairie, and even small towns like Edson, Drumheller, Morinville - are engaged in a battle, financially, socially,
and judicially, against this scourge that has destroyed so many lives. That has, as the
Edmonton Sun put it, "torn apart every community in Alberta".
Crystal meth abuse has become so serious here that Premier Ralph Klein has set up a The Premier's Task Force on Crystal Meth to deal with it, and estimates that it will cost more than $30 million to wage war against the notorious drug. The Alberta Government has also passed legislation on mandatory treatment for juvenile addicts of at least 10 days, though not nearly long enough to help an addict recover.
Methamphetamine started to show up on the Streets of Edmonton about 6 years ago, and has become such an issue that even clean-cut
suburban neighbourhoods there are plagued with an increase in crime, prostitution and open meth-dealing and usage. It started to show up in Calgary about a year later, but didn't hit massively until recently. More and more people, across the entire spectrum of society, are feeling the supposed "wondrous high and lasting energy" that "ice" offers.
I fell for meth when I was 14 after becoming addicted to heroin, and it has taken me until now, as a 20-year-old, to quit. The primary way it is used in Alberta is smoking, but injecting methamphetamine is becoming more popular, especially in the gay community where HIV transmission among users and addicts is accounting for more and more of the total number of newly infected. Drug manufacturers in Alberta add meth to other drugs because it is inexpensive and makes those drugs more addictive. Police estimate that between 70-75% of ecstasy sold on our streets contains meth.
Meth has destroyed the fabric of our society. More and more agencies, government departments, police services, municipalities and individuals are teaming up and trying to make a difference, whether through talking to their children and family, empathetically discussing the endlessly negative consequences of the drug to a suffering addict at work or school, or doing volunteer work at homeless shelters, treatment centres and social service/counseling agencies.
The people of Alberta and Canada as a whole are battling this horrific drug one life at a time, one day at a time, and my biggest wish is that we will win this battle. As long as there is intervention, support and care for the addict, and prevention and awareness for everyone else, we'll pull through... •
• Revised December 6
AS THE COUNTRY with possibly the most liberal attitude towards drugs in the world - where you can smoke pot in regulated cafes and marajuana is legally used for medicinal purposes - you might expect crystal meth to have taken off in a big way in Holland by now.
On the contrary. In 2003, The Health Association in the Netherlands funded a major survey to determine the general drug habits of its citizens, and to establish the underlying reasons why they use. The results make for enlightening reading.
It revealed that, by far, the majority of Dutch citizens who consume drugs on a regular basis do so mainly at weekends, and for enhancement purposes as opposed to escaping reality, and that only a small minority suffer with addiction problems. Among the hundreds of people questioned about their drug habits, the general finding established that drugs are primarily used on a controlled basis and once a week at most, accompanying social and recreational activities like clubbing and dancing.
The researchers attribute this finding to a general feeling of freedom, contentment and peace of mind among the Dutch in general, who live in a liberal (i.e. open, non-competitive and tolerant) society that is largely free of oppression or government and media-channeled fear-mongering.
Furthermore, the easy availability and cheapness of drugs in Holland (Amsterdam being a major world centre for ecstasy production and trade) is no indicator of consumption, with people tending to moderate their usage even though a pill costs around the price of a beer.
Most respondents were disparaging or dismissive about hard drugs like heroin or crack cocaine, with few being aware of anyone they knew who use. Similarly, to date, the Amsterdam gay community has emerged relatively unscathed from the arrival of crystal meth into Europe. Despite the drug's limited availability within the local scene, it has not been widely embraced, and reports of meth-related casualties are few and far between. •
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