New Zealand - Anti-P campaigner advocates American-style zero tolerance

[Expat98]

It seems that the hardcore drug warriors are starting to gain some traction in New Zealand?

BTW, why is methamphetamine called "P" in New Zealand?

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Anti-P campaigner advocates American-style zero tolerance

5:00AM Thursday May 29, 2008

Special drug courts should be able to force addicts into treatment and authorities should have powers to conduct drug tests, a select committee was told yesterday.

Mike Sabin was a detective who investigated clandestine drug labs for 12 years before he left the police in 2006 to set up MethCon Group, aspecialist methamphetamine consultancy and educator.

He presented his research paper, Solutions to the Methamphetamine Crisis in New Zealand, to the law and order select committee at Parliament.

Mr Sabin reviewed international studies and interviewed specialists around the world.

He said drug abuse needed to be treated as a mainstream health problem and the Government needed to give it a high priority and target it in a co-ordinated way, while making the drug business uneconomic.

"In analysing what works and what doesn't on the global stage, in particular within the United States, it is clear that New Zealand's national drug policy of the last 10 years _ which focuses on harm minimisation _ will continue to fail."

A focus on harm minimisation did not work and a zero tolerance approach to all drugs _ including cannabis, which Mr Sabin said was a gateway drug _ was needed to make it harder for people to keep using drugs.

Research showed campaigns targeting youth, drug testing in schools and workplaces, screening, drug treatment services and drug treatment courts were highly effective.

Mr Sabin said that since 2001, when the United States launched its national drug control strategy focused on intervention plus blocking access to precursor substances, there had been a 64 per cent drop in methamphetamine use and a 25 per cent cut in cannabis use.

"It is clear that there is no one silver bullet but it is apparent that in the absence of successful demand reduction through a more balanced approach, police and customs will be largely ineffective at tackling the subsequent supply."

There was no national approach, with different agencies dealing with different parts of the problem.

"The lack of consistency or co-ordination and prioritisation is why we see what we do now."

Cabinet minister Jim Anderton, who is in charge of drug policy, said he would make sure the report was considered but took issue with some of its findings.

He said Mr Sabin was wrong to say there was no national approach to the methamphetamine problem.

"We do co-ordinate our approach," he said.

"All the agencies working in this area are doing so together, and we have a structure in place to make sure of that."

Mr Anderton was not sure a recommendation to compulsorily drug test all workers and students was helpful.

"There has been legal action in this area, and the courts have ruled clearly against such proposals."

Mr Anderton said the Government knew methamphetamine was a serious problem.

It was reclassified as a Class A drug in 2003, which increased the maximum jail term for manufacturing or supplying it from 14 years to life imprisonment.

"Further legislation is in the House currently to further enhance enforcement powers.


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/...ectid=10513121


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Related story...

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Alcohol and tobacco 'kill more than P'

By LANE NICHOLS - The Dominion Post | Thursday, 29 May 2008

The Government is bracing for a war on alcohol and tobacco despite dire warnings that it is a methamphetamine epidemic that is destroying families and communities.

A report on the drug P, presented to Parliament's law and order select committee, warns that New Zealand must overhaul its national drug policy and introduce random drug testing of workers and pupils.

It calls for sweeping law changes, tougher police powers and "drug courts" to help counter a methamphetamine epidemic.

The Government says it is pouring millions of dollars into the fight against illicit drugs, but tobacco and alcohol cause far more mayhem and death each year.

"And, guess what - it's sold at the corner dairy or the supermarket," Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said.

Presenting his findings to MPs yesterday, former Auckland detective Mike Sabin said current measures had failed, recreational drug use had exploded, and P addiction was rife.

Mr Sabin, who runs a drug education and research company, made 21 recommendations on how to help turn the tide on what he called our losing battle against methamphetamine.

P is highly addictive and has been linked to some of the worst violent crimes. It is estimated to cost society $550 million each year.

New Zealand has one of the highest methamphetamine prevalence rates in the world, the report says. It recommends:

A national drug control policy office to report directly to the prime minister.

Better education, treatment and intervention programmes to tackle demand and undermine the economic viability of drug supply.

A bigger focus on organised crime and stronger enforcement of drug offences.

Tighter restrictions on the sale of precursor substances used to make P.

Mr Sabin said drug courts could force offenders to get treatment, and he recommends random drug testing of workers and school pupils to provide a deterrent and enable early intervention for young abusers.

"New Zealand is swamped with drug abuse. The police alone will never fix this problem. There are frameworks in place and there have been interventions.

" It's just they have been totally unsuccessful in reducing the prevalence of methamphetamine and other drugs."

A police national headquarters spokesman would not comment, but said police uncovered 200 clandestine P labs a year and worked closely with Customs to make drug seizures.

Mr Anderton said the Government's coordinated national drug policy already targeted the "scourge" of methamphetamine.

P had been reclassified as a class A controlled drug, giving police new search and seizure powers. P makers and suppliers could now face life in prison, "the same sentence as for murder".

But he said alcohol abuse was behind most violence and crime "by a country mile" and tobacco-related illnesses killed 4700 New Zealanders each year.

Though Mr Sabin's research would be considered, compulsory drug testing of all workers and pupils was unworkable and unnecessary.

Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell disputed claims that interventions had failed in the fight against P.

Drug survey results showed methamphetamine use had "levelled off" and the number of new users had fallen.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4563539a11.html