Ice addicts causing havoc in hospital

[Oz]

HOSPITALS have endured a fourfold increase in cases of drug-induced psychosis in the past decade, fuelled by addiction to dangerous stimulants, landmark research shows.

 

Drug experts and emergency doctors have warned that the problem of addiction to methamphetamines – ice, crystal meth and speed – is set to escalate unless funds are urgently redirected into health and social services.

 

New research published in the Medical Journal of Australia has estimated that synthetic drugs are responsible for more than one in every 100 emergency presentations.

 

A significant number of patients were aggressive, agitated, arrived by ambulance and required "extensive resources" like sedation and psychiatric evaluations.

 

A study by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre found that drug-induced psychotic episodes accounted for 55.5 per million people in 1994.

 

But by 2004 this had escalated to 253 per million – a more than fourfold increase according to figures collated from the national hospital database.

 

Between 1999 and 2004, cannabis-related episodes remained stable but those sparked by methamphetamines grew, particularly among people in their 20s.

 

Amphetamine hospital admittances were highest among the older age groups, probably because these addicts had higher rates of injecting and use of the most potent forms, ice and crystal meth, said lead researcher professor Louisa Degenhardt said.

 

"Although concern about links between cannabis and psychotic symptoms is understandable, amphetamine use seems to have a higher risk of psychotic symptoms requiring hospital treatment and represents a risk for more users in all age groups," she said.

 

Another Perth study in the same journal paints a picture of Australia's amphetamine abusers.

 

It found that amphetamines in general, including ecstasy, were responsible for 1.2 per cent of all emergency department presentations.

 

The typical patient was a single, white male in his 20s, who used drugs at least weekly and required urgent sedation and psychiatric evaluation to treat agitation and aggression.

 

Almost one third arrived at hospital by ambulance and 16 per cent with police. Most injected their drugs.

 

Drug expert Dr Alex Wodak and emergency specialist Dr Gordian Fulde, both from Sydney's St Vincents Hospital, said Australians did not appear to be consuming more amphetamines. But what they were taking was more pure, more widely available in "psycho-active" forms, and therefore more dangerous.

 

They warned that amphetamine use will escalate without more health and social resources to help stem the problem.

 

"Although we should be wary of predictions that illicit drug problems are destined to deteriorate inexorably and indefinitely, it is likely that amphetamine-related problems will continue to worsen in Australia for some time," Dr Fulde said.

 

 

By Tamara McLean

01/04/07

http://www.news.com.au/

Herald and Weekly Times.

[wildflower]

Not very surprising is it.

While they campaign to demonise weed..this shit slips under their noses?

Its odorless, concealable and eats your brain!

Oh but wait these so called representatives of our social interests, still insist of having another dig at cannabis at the expense of the real issue here (methamphetamines).

Louisa Degenhardt said.

 

"Although concern about links between cannabis and psychotic symptoms is understandable, amphetamine use seems to have a higher risk of psychotic symptoms requiring hospital treatment and represents a risk for more users in all age groups," she said.

Well Louisa, its proven that your full of shit, "understandable links"?!

Forget about cannabis. Your got more problems now. Who the hell are you anyhow? To bring it up in the same sentence is a joke.

Good luck.

You'll need it.

[Jess Stone]

Why would any here at OzStoners believe any of these sort of stories? Govs lie,media lie,cops lie I personally believe NOTHING that comes out of "these" peoples mouths they are liars so if its true, but because of there constant lies about EVERYTHING, I find it hard to believe so liars cause a disservice to everyone as your left with nothing but cynicism you no longer believe anything the scum say

[Tom]

The real damage caused by the shit is not even mentioned, that is what it does to relationships and turns the addicts into, conscienceless liars, thieves, crack whores, etc, etc, etc. Crystal methamphetamine is going to destroy the innocent people and families within our society very quickly unless the government makes an urgent and drastic change to the focus of this stupid war on drugs, most other drug users are a case for the health system to deal with rather than the law, why lock someone up for doing something that harms no-one but himself? The law should concentrate on locking up the low-life mongrels that are importing or cooking up the chemicals, they are the ones that profit from crimes against society.

 

[jimbojones5678]

Hitlers revenge...took a while but here she comes...and from the hand of Asians no less - how comical!

Should be some interesting stats about this crap in around 20-30years...

 

Jimbo

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

I had a dose of speed enduced physcosis when I was white, male and in my 20s. I didn't behave violent, I just lostit. I sat in a corner of a unit I was living in as a single dad with my daughter, and went into the most severe instance of paranoia . It was so insane it couldn't be explained.

 

That must be 22, 23 years ago. I also twisted my bowel, from not eating for days at a time. I ened up in hospital with it.

 

In the last ten years working with youth in my local area, almost of whom almost entriely all of them are speed users to some extent. Sems the girls more so than the boys for weight mantainence reasons.

But mum and dads too, into say late 20s, to early 40s.

 

One couple I know very well, we'd done a lot with them. They lost a daughter to a drunk driver running her over, and they lost their grip on life, and ended up badly addicted to speed. The usual sleep deprevation/angst led the bloke one night to attack his wife of (stab in the dark here) maybe, 15 years. He went at her with a hammer of all things. He's in jail now doing time for attempted murder, they're both clean and madly in love.

A young bloke I know had become so carried away with dpeed, he walked around with a small bag of tools for breaking into "things", cars, homes, whatever..always on the look out for a bick to buy more speed.

He was so skinny if he stood sideays and poked out his tounge you'd thunk he was a zipper. Lost it onenight, wanted to die an drove his car up the highway the wrong way in an attempt to kill himself, completely devoid of care for who-else miht die.

He got 8 months for a string of offenses, and was geneuinely glad he ended in jail.

 

One bloke I know was speeding, and some creep used his vulnerable state to convinve him to tourch a house for a payback. The bloke who lit rhe mtach got a year for the arson, and was very lucky he didn't get done for atempted murder, because there was akid in the house sleeping. The fella ran in and got him out and that saved boththe kid, and himslef years in jail.

 

Very few of these people I know smoke grass. it's just not their scene. they want energy, they want to be super thin, and they want confidence. This is why that survey of how due to youth saying grass is uncool was touted as some kind of wonderful thing made me so mad. I know why they said it was uncool, and the warnings they should be taking heed of in that survey could help them (gov) to head of perhaps, an even worse outcoem over the next ten years than we're already going to face. but to make it look politically good, they will just promote it all as good.

 

Since I was in high school, my family and my freinds, and my father's freinds have all smoked. Prety much all anyway. Whenb I was 21, I was convinced everyone in the world smoked pot, the ones who said they didn't were just doing it on the sly I thought, for some reason or another. I sincerely believed this. Maybenot every last person, but I'd safely say I assumed 80 % of everyone in my mind smoked grass, some less than others..some hidieng it..

 

By the time I was about 24, the first person I know spun out from too much grass. I guess it would have been about 1987/88? This is all rough.

He calmly cut his wrists insanely dep, lay down to die. The local cops at Brunswick heads had one hell of a wrestle with him, (he was a very seriously built bloke), and they got him to Richmond Clinic at Lismore for those here who know the instiute.

That was a combination of a tormented past, a very unsettled marriage, with bad trust issues involving the woman of his life and his best mate.

Seems to me the problem was more like all the trust, insecutiy in his life, and too much pot might have hampered him dealing with it constructively. that'd be the wrose you could say about the pot involved inhis break down.

Ten years later my dad ended up in Richmond clinic too, pycosis.

I have never sen anyone before that experience who when they smoked pot, actually becae agitated, aggressive (the two thingsm y father never sufered). He went from about the nicest bloke in the world, to a very scarey bloke, couldn't trusthim, something just wasn't firing right.

Turns out he had skitsophrenia (spelling?), and from that tiem onward, he was always a bad person to smoke with. which is sad, because I grew up smoking with him, we used to go awa fishing each weekend to al the nth NSW beaches, and man did we have fun, camping, smoking talking..no sign of trouble back then.

 

but he always sufered depression, and was always only just "holding on" to life if you know what I mean. There's no question he had this condition below the surface all those years, and age, pressure and mayeb too much smoko cultivated it.

 

No matter how you weigh it up, of all the smokers I've known, 2 needed hospital help, compared with the super amounts of kids I know ina very short time that have spent time in hospitals is shockingly conflicting.

 

I reckon that's a wild comparrison between the two drugs, and how grass gets the press it deoes over mental ilenss really sickens me. My youngerbrother has smoked heavily with the rest of the fam al these years, and the other day he mimiced the propaganda, expressing concern for the amount of people spinning out from hydro weed.

I couldn't believe it.

 

If people are being hospitalised and diagnosed with pot indiced head jobs, I can think of at least two reasons this is happening, and it struck me while I was talkig withthe prison doctor one day about it all while waiting on someone.

 

He said it seemed odd to be called out to sedate so many kids who had spun out on grass. (he was the call out doc for Recliffe lock up ). He said "well, they say they're freaking out from the pot, unless they're just looking for an excuse to use as defense in court maybe. He wasn't that serious, and wasn't that concerned about what he said being true or false, we were just killin time.

but it struck me, if you had just kicked in the winodw of the local shop, and the cops have you in nik, you must be thuking up ya story, to get a ympathy vote from the magistrate.

 

I was wondering f they were just drunk and stupid, knowing this wouldn't go over well, dreamt up the pot angle, to make themselevs appear as much victims as they are guilty.

Or, if you're truly freaking out, mental explosion kinda thing, agro and need sedation, the cops get the doctor to you and you have to see the magistrate about this. What's going to sound better..."I was speeding and fucked over the shop front window because my girlfreind roped me"

or "all I did was smoke some grass. Next thing I know I was in the jail, I have no idea what went on.."?

 

It's worth considering.

ANyway, no matter what it is, that survey that showed a change away from grass as a first choice entertainment substabnce, simply shows the change in pop culture. I don't think drugs create pop cultures, i think enoigh superficial evidence exists to prove pop culture seeks the drugs needed to enhance what's going on in society at that time.

 

The amount of ids using sped in my area is insane. I used to be the drop of point for needles, because they were too paranoid to go to the bins, and we didn't want them throwing them inthe bushes. I couldn't believe how many nedles they were going through, it's genuinely out of control, and my personal belief that all drugs should be free and legal is put strongly tothe test on this one. Cooks (the ones I know of) really frighten me. Their attitude to life I mean, if not them specifically.

 

cheers all

rob

 

Oh, and something that I myself have never seen the "experts" make any conection with, is the amount of binge drinking in kids at present,and of course coresponding alcohol poisoning.

We all know how much more booze a person can put away wehn speeding and still remain in control. I've got no doubt many of those kids (my neice a few months ago at 14) who have had their stomaches pumped for alcohol overdose of late have speed connections that don't get mentioned tot eh doctor.

just based on what I se while out at night with these kids. Gee they put the grog away when they're speeding.

 

How the gov can even be thinking about gras with this going on proves they don't care about drug use in kids per sae. It's drug use that might cause people to be bad workers etc that they are concerned about. Stoners sit on the beach at Byron, saying silly things down the throat of the TV camera like "well, some like to work, and some like to surf". Not a good image for the gov at ellection time or anual budget time. (current affair and so on have so much to answer for, the way they manipulate the emotions of our country).

While speed makes a kid an incredible worker, coherant, confident.... I myself used to work cattle and such when I was young. I could do the work of two blokes. Thin size zero girls on the beaches for the sicko aging tourists to perve at, stats to prove their campaign against obesity is working... man there's loads of reasons to let the speed problem be as it is for a while yet.

 

Just keep drawing the heat onto gras, a drug that is easily apparent while on TV, the good hard working tax paying straights jealous of how theyhave to work and so on...the gov gets great milage targetting us.

[wildflower]

good points robbie. Interesting stuff. Ive just been back here after a few months and after a few minutes catching up on the news here. Its obvious theres a shortage of weed, and its pretty bad too. So yeh, the government can pat themselves on the back well done they gotten rid of cannabis on the streets???!?!

One could argue that it was really a problem of epidemic proportions to begin with. So what the hells going on?

The cannabis market has been killed of to make way for ice, somethings gotta fill the vacuum i guess?. Ice is so fucking available its not funny.

Real smart leaders we have, we all know the hydro bullshit was just bullshit, it was never substantiated, never will be. But what is substantiated is the problem weve ALWAYS had with methamphetamines.

Its just getting worse.

 

You put a soft drug into the hard drug category...

BRIGHT IDEA!!

Just spin bullshit about cannabis (hydro-psychosis etc) and the kids will just skip the smelly and dirty plant and go straight to the harder more refined drugs!.its pure economics. get 10x as wasted at the same price! and do the same jail time! with the same psychosis!

REAL BRIGHT!!

 

 

crazy times surrounded by people with 0 fucking clue wanting to manage my life...keep fucking trying.

[Stoney]

this is very true how Ice is taking over aust extreemly quickly yet they still chase after us with this dam war on drugs

 

the fuckers need to pull there head in and work out what is really fucking up the youth of today or we gonna get close to losing a whole generation to ice and its related substences

 

cheerz :Dj:

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

They won't figure it out stoney, they couldn't even if they wantd to, and I sincerely believe they don't want to care.

 

That's my opinion, but I'll tell you what it's based on. Most kids who fuck up on drugs badly are poor, or a less emotional word, dis-functional. The ones who are from homes of well to do peeople get fixed up with holidays at Mirikae drug rehab and similar places.

People such as myself, get the HADDS clinic of the local gov hospital.

Authority says "don't know why anyone would be adicted, there's plenty of rehab", and most people nod knowingly.

 

however, in Qld (I do't know about else-where), in fact South Queensland, there are just 8 beds in the Brisbane hospital, and hence means 8 beds available for withdrawal in all from the border of NSQ/Qld, west to the SA/WA border, up to about Rockhampton.

 

4 of these beds are resevrd for opiate withdrawal, 4 for "other drugs".

Don't sound too set to tackle any problems there. There's a couple other places you can go, one run by a church at red Hill, and another one that's NGO also, both are zero tollernce though, meaning it's a cold turkey approach with no sedation.

They just don't have the money to hire paid experts to administer the drugs, so it's sit tight and hold on hard...type of withdrawal, which the main bilk of which fail before they're through.

 

I think the Americanisation of our prisons, both innature and owndership simply neds cheap staff, to contiue to meet the contracts that have been striuck which actually turned prisons from an expense, into a workig concrn.. bu tonly if they;re kept at 95% capacity.

 

Not enough crime without drug prohibition, either to lock people up for being in direct contact with the drugs, or to uncover in drug related crime, such as theft to buy the drugs with elevated prohibition prices, and these prisons drop in capacity, and they go from profit to burdem.

 

In USA these days, the companies building prisons make contracts with the justice department, requireing them to keep the prisons at 95% full!!

Without the full bed number, they can't get the slave market aspect to work properly somehow.

 

How do you anticipate 95% cpacity of people captured of crime? No they have any problems withthis number, the prisons are over-flowing.

But clearly, IF for some reason, say the gov forgot how their system works, and actually managed to clear up poverty, unemployment etc etc.. and no-one was commiting crime, then all they have to do is make new laws, harsher penbalties, ...but those prison beds ahve to be filled, regardless if people are making crime or not.

 

As for they will never know what the real problem is, I don't base that entirely on opinion, but at least parlty on experience.

I hang out with a gov youth program. I'm not paid (well not often to be completely fair), it's something I do because "there for the grace of... could go my children" and I would hope poeple would be compasionate and careing enouhg to help them make it home drunk, or whatever, safe and sound. So I'm involved pretty deep in the lives of alot of people who are pretty screwed up.

Funny thing with this mob, who I don't want to name because well, I don't want to be found...but it's common with all the gov agencies set up to "work" with youth,and that is the people actually paid thebest and running the show do sweet fuck all.

 

The better quakified and paid they are, the least good thgey are we find.

Of coyurse there are exceptions, but I mean they are exceptions.

I've taken a young girl in to the office, her boyfreind and her had been iving in the park, he was arreasted in jail, with her wallet on him,. She had no card to get money fromthe bank, no medicare card, no ID of any sort. everything she owned pretty well was in that wallet, which was now locked away in the R and R prison Brisbane for at least 6 months, and the screws weren't a goin to give it back.

So I began calling around the place to get replacement cards for her, and while doing so, the only well paid bloke there that does anything much, asked this woman, qualified to the back teeth 30 odd dollars and hour I believe, to make afile on the young girl. She asked me "what do I ask her?" "How do I talk with this girl?"

 

A few months back they were given an extra one million dollars by the gov in a john howard press to improve the lot of homeless kids.

The first thing they did when the cheque cleared was to hold a meeeting on what to do with the money..on Great Keppel Island!

They figured it was getting sus driving around some of the work cars, they were nearly three years old, so they vorted to buy a couple new cars for the qualified workers.

Some ofice redesign was needed, and new air conditioning..

 

What was left over was banked to be used for "emergency" homeless cases, which means they will pay someone like myself 80 dollars to house a homeless young kid for anight until they can pass them of onto another agency.

 

If you think this is aq cynoical view, bad luck it's the truth.

 

I obviously don't talk about my drug use in this place, so I get to hear the talk of hwat the "experts" believe.

 

Basically, we're lucky, "Heroin hasn't reached our neigbourhood yet. We've heard it's on the way, but it's not here yet". WTF?

They are aware speed is a problem, but all they know if people get violent on it, and no more than that really. They believe marijauan is causing the bulk of mntal problems in kids, and well...read "woman's wekly" to get the insie word of what the front line (and these people are the very front line in Gov work with youth in this state) understandiong of what's going on.

 

They took the money and blew it all on themselves. Monday mornbing they have an all day meeting to discuss "cases". No youth in need, no matter how desperate can get help from the ofice that day, as they're all "in meeting". What do they discuss? Believe me it's all shit.

Firday the office ois shut at lunchtime, nothing available at all over the weekend.

So, Tues, Wed and Thurdsay, the millions the gov spends for the trained experts to find out what's going on, is spent by the best paid (and so most listened to by other agencies) doing ALl they can to avoid the smelly, bad mannered nit infested kids that they would rather not be anywherre near.

 

Three people do everything of any value in that ofice, and thery are unqualified, (paid though) and very careing hard working people. They get a small wage, becuase they havent been to uni to get degrees in whatever. The very qualified ones are genuinely offened by the likes of who they work with. They tend to onky work in these jobs ofr 2-3 years, they're stepping stone jobs.

"Frot line" work is so highly regarded by the dperatments, that after a few years, you get a kinda of hero soldier status, and they use this to get reclinging jobs that better suit them. They usually claim "burn out" from the horrors of their work on the "front lines".

menawhile the three I know who do ALL the work have been at it for ten years or more, and will never get cushy jobs becuase they arn't pedigreed.

 

BAsically, those who get to write the reports on what's wrong, know nothing. The money spent is soaked up on themselves, and those who have any idea at all , are so low paid and unregarded, they have no credability. A while ago, the commonwealth gavwe them 11 million for comnunity work. They built a new landscaped park area, and some other nonsense here and there.

 

I'm not kidding abouyt how these well paid clowns dodge everything. A few weeks ago I was at foodbank with one of the few blokes that does all the genuine work. We were shopping for food for a family that had lost trheir father to jail, and were doing it tough money wise.

We couldn't have a normal chat as we drove across town, and shopped; becuase the BOS of this gov department was so frequently onthe phone to us, (mainly my mate), with stuff like "The local school prinicple is upset with "Josh", he's acting out at school and they can't find his parents"

"There's another young girl here with nowhere to live, what will we do?" (there's a very serious accomodation problem for youth in bris. Prob all over the country?)

 

but I'm just saying, this is the woman who is running the game, and who writes reports back to the gov on what's needed.

 

They don't have a clue mate.

BTW, I've worked with others (of this same department) and they all are exactly the same).

Fairdinkum, Mondyas are the worse day for busy, as in strife you th have found themselve sin over the weekend, and you can't even talk to them on the phone that day. Friday os the next busiest time, with the weekend comming up and all the problms that face tgem in that way, and the ofice is closed at lunchtime (officially. In reality it often doesnt open at all on Friday).

 

Every single thing they address with these kids, they ask them of course "why, how" etc.." these problems came about. the kids give them whatever answert they know will give them the best response. if they think saying "I was smoing cones too much, oh..realy evil wicked good shit...but it fuxs you up, you know...and now I don't have money for food..."they know they get what they need. If they knew telling them martians landed and examined them, they'd tell them that, and if the "theme" this wek is the ill effects of martians of kids, the fool will go for it and write reports on it, just because it's easy to follow the pattern.

 

How are these clowns going to know what do to about anything?

 

cheers mate

rob

[wildflower]

wow thats fucked up shit from someone on the *inside*

like you said its the truth...

good on ya rob.

 

Not intending to hijack anything but i feel its important (and robbie, tell me what you think about this)

Ive been following this..stuff for a long time, family experience with these *GROUPS* in public schools etc etc

excerpts from this thread.

https://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners...st&p=142705

what your basically have outlined in your very interesting insight into your post pretty much validates the following.

(for me anyhow..something to consider at least)

--snip--

Community Interests (communitarianism) take precendence over individual rights (civil liberties).

Key words to look out for when you watch or read any media or polictical jargon.

"Community concerns"

"Community interests"

"Community groups"

"Community organisations"

etc etc.

People assume everyone else is asked except them. However these handful of people, that run not for profit organisations, charity groups, faith based groups and other "community" based representative groups are hand in hand with government policy makers. Infact one could argue that we are infact run and controlled by "communitarian" groups.

Communitarian groups have inserted themselves between - YOU - the individual and the government.

The community groups have absolutely no obligation to you - the individual. Yet claim to represent you.

However the individual reaps the effects of communitarian interests.

They are extremely powerful.

They are beasts that will do anything to justify their existence.

They are well cashed up.

They influence and interfere with the rights of the individual.

You have a responsibility to the Community.

Welcome to communitarianism.

 

Its "insert communisim".

I want to explain this to people so they understand. I urge everyone to some research.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communitarianism

..is a good place to start.

our taxes, rates and bills we pay are indirectly funding these community groups. They do nothing more that fund biased research to inturn JUSTIFY THEIR EXISITENCE.

dont support them and you have a chance.

However the sad part is most of these groups are funded and endorsed by private organisations.

They keep themselves afloat by lobbying such organisations for a cut of their allocated "charity fund"

And now you can see how a "deal" can be struck.

Ive been talking about this for quiet a while with people on these boards (my anti charity and donation stance - red nose day etc etc.) and can finally put a name to it thanks to the ACL !

http://nord.twu.net/acl/

Communitarianism

peace out!

--snip--

 

STAY STRONG DUDES!!!

Edited April 2, 2007 by wildflower