Youth group fighting meth
SOUTH Otago police are throwing their weight behind a bid for a youth campaign to curb the spread of methamphetamine in the region.
CluthaTaieri area response manager Senior Sergeant Cynthia Fairley voiced strong support for a new drug awareness and deterrence campaign proposed by Clutha District Youth Council during a longterm plan hearing in Balclutha yesterday.
Snr Sgt Fairley said there was an opportunity for the South Otago community to prevent ‘‘a lot of carnage’’ that could be caused by methamphetamine if its spread was left unchecked locally.
Methamphetamine, also known as ‘‘meth’’ or ‘‘P’’, was a ‘‘vicious’’ drug that caused rapid addiction, and was a factor in an increasing number of crimes in the area, she said.
She estimated ‘‘one to two’’ incidents in the region each week involved meth either directly or indirectly.
‘‘Aside from the harm meth does to the individuals using it, there’s a wider issue with its implication in family harm, serious assault and dangerous driving/crash incidents in South Otago.
‘‘With tester bags selling at $5 it’s often cheaper than cannabis, and we’ve seen several recent instances locally where families from all walks of life have been torn apart by the drug and its consequences.’’
As with fellow class A drug heroin, meth often led users to steal from family, friends and employers as addiction took hold and costs of the habit spiralled, Snr Sgt Fairley said.
Its destructive effects on families and communities meant a communitybased approach to deterrence was often most effective.
‘‘We’re seeing communitybased initiatives working well in the North Island where the problem has been around for a while. At the moment it’s open slather in our rural communities here in the south, but it’s certainly not too late for our young people to take the lead in educating each other and the wider community.’’
Clutha District Youth Council chairperson Bronson Blackbourn said drug use was an increasing concern for young people in the district, which had motivated the youth council to ‘‘stand up’’.
‘‘Illegal substance use is something that affects everyone’s lives in some way. The youth of the district want to stand up to this and say that it is not acceptable, and we want things to change.’’
Young people were better placed to deliver the message of drug deterrence than adults, he said.
The youth council had identified several possible campaign elements, including advertising, public speakers, customised campaign branding and community partnerships, for which it was seeking initial seed funding of $10,000.
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan voiced his support for the initiative.
‘‘I commend the youth council for speaking up and saying, ‘We’ve had a gutsful of drugs in our area. Let’s do something about it.’’’