A free community forum is being held today at the Eden Fishermen's Club sharing information and raising awareness about the use of ice (crystal methamphetamine). The Eden Magnet asked people on the street if they’d encountered or been affected by the drug, and if they thought it was a crisis in our community.
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Jason Thow
Eden
I’ve known friends who have used it, and their lives have gone to ****. They’ve changed from a healthy person to someone who’s downtrodden and sad. I can’t have a conversation with them anymore, because their lives are focused on drugs. Drug use has been a crisis in this area for decades. Pills were being sold in the 1950s when my dad was young. But now the drugs have got harder and harder.
Molly Davidson
Eden
Ice is running rampant on the south east coast. I know someone who has taken it, and it almost ruined their life. They were saved by their family, and by rehab. The person was young, had their own business, worked for themselves, had a great life. After ice they wouldn’t leave the house, couldn’t deal with their family, and all social abilities were diminished. It’s obviously an addiction like so many other things, that draws you in.
Sue Narbey
Melton, Victoria
I think ice will put a huge strain on the medical system if not contained. We’ll see an increase in domestic violence and abuse too, including attacks on innocent people. In Sydney we’ve had horrific situations about king-hits and people being killed. So it’s a wider social and safety issue, with mental health caused to those targeted or hurt by users. There should be more education via youth groups, telling kids about the effects and impact of the drug.
Brenda McLachlan and Chris Cristiano
Eden
Ice is definitely a problem here, and it’s awful seeing it on TV and seeing the affects it has. Users feel bugs crawling under their skin, their teeth fall out. It’s terrible that people suffer like that, such a waste of human life. They need to catch the dealers and lock them up for good. We want to say “kids, think twice before you do it”. Apparently you only try it once, and you’re hooked. You don’t know when people are on it, and when they might turn on you.
Kato and Margaret Bailey
Eden
We’re fearful for our grandchildren and great grandchildren. We’ve seen the damage done by just plain old cigarettes, let alone ice. It’s shocking, and we should be talking more to our children and showing them the wrong of it. I think kids are taking it because of the uncertainty of life, and unemployment.
They’re looking for a fantasy way to relax and enjoy life, but they’re caught up in the terrible addiction. What’s wrong with fresh air and a beautiful beach and love?
Ken McCoombe
Merimbula
I worked in the health industry for 33 years in Victoria, and I saw the affects of ice there, and it was very frightening. It changes personalities completely. I’ve seen kids from upstanding families turning to wrecks in just a couple of months. It’s a crisis all over Australia, not just here. The new hospital in Bega will help the retired generation, but I don’t think better medical facilities will solve the ice issue. It’s a social not medical problem, and we need to treat the cause, not the effects.
Paul Kennedy
Eden
Personally I think ice is a problem because drugs generally are illegal. Ice is a cost effective way to take drugs, because it’s cheap and available.
Back in my day, people were happy having a chuff of marijuana, but because authorities were so hard on that it’s developed into a much bigger problem.
Kids can’t get marijuana due to prohibition, so they turn to other things that are often more dangerous. And young people are forced to deal with criminals in order to get their drugs, rather than go to a chemist and sample something legally.
