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Archived Press Releases 2010 24th September 2010

NZ Commonwealth Games medal contender for meth use

(24th September 2010)

A report prepared by the New Zealand Police National Intelligence Centre (NIC) confirms what we already knew – that NZ has world-leading rates of methamphetamine use.

Sensible Sentencing's Spokesperson on Drug issues, Christine Davey, is delighted to see a Report that focuses on methamphetamine USE - not Dealing or Manufacturing, but the issue that drives those two activities. The Report highlights the fact that Government allows people to engage in the illegal activity of using "P" while their desperate families look on, unable to do anything about it.

Government Advisors tell them that the person has to want help to stop using P before they can be given it – and yet the National Council for Addiction Treatment tells us that "coerced treatment can be as effective as voluntary treatment."

MP's have told us that using P is a family and community problem that we have to deal with, and yet they give us no tools. The P user has more rights to use P than their families do to try and stop them.

The latest Government measure to deal with the issue is a website that tries to 'cajole' P users into stopping, by sending them a DVD of interviews with people who have undergone successful treatment. This requires the P user to find the website, request the DVD, wait for it to arrive and still be in the right frame of mind to sit down and watch it, and then seek treatment IF they still want it. No pressure!!

In the meantime there are ample opportunities for relapse, and for crimes to be committed where innocent people are hurt.

Ms Davey considers this a pathetic response to one of the most serious problems this country has ever had to deal with.

Until this Government acquires the guts to take control of this issue and adequately target the DEMAND, P crime will continue to proliferate, families will continue to be destroyed, innocent people will be hurt or killed and it will continue to cost this country billions of dollars.

Ms Davey suggests that if Government really "wants to make New Zealand an inhospitable environment for organised criminals", they need to work on removing the market for the goods!!!!

Regards,

Christine Davey
Sensible Sentencing Spokesperson on Drug Issues,
mobile 027 6376166
Christine Davey has first hand experience of P use in her family, and also supports many other NZ parents in her role as Administrator on the Fight Against P website www.fightagainstp.com

Through the Sensible Sentencing Trust Christine is campaigning for intervention in drug use at family request and removal of children from the care of known drug-users.