DVD WARNING TO TEENAGERS AS P GETS CHEAPER

An educational reality-type docudrama showing a young man's descent
into full-blown P abuse is about to hit secondary schools.

Told through the eyes of a teenage girl, Sophie's Story is a harrowing
account of the effects P has on families and youth, who a drug
education group warns are trying it earlier.

The school resource is the brainchild of Jean Robinson, chairwoman of
the Papatoetoe Neighborhood Support Trust.

Ms Robinson said the DVD would be sent to secondary schools throughout
the country.

"It really is a horrendous drug - heroin used to be the worst but this
drug is way beyond that and there's absolutely no escape once you're
hooked," said Ms Robinson.

The docudrama comes at the same time Welltrust executive officer
Murray Trenberth told NZPA the drug was becoming more prevalent among
youth.

Mr Trenberth said the price for a "hit" of P had dropped to $60 from
$120 last year and teenagers as young as 14 were experimenting with
it.

He said the 20 per cent of youths addicted to marijuana by the age of
16 were likely to try P.

Police Association vice president, Richard Middleton, said Sophie's
Story was "absolutely timely".

"No doubt their research is correct and if you have intermediate
school-age children using and abusing cannabis there's no reason they
won't be trying methamphetamine," he said.

Mr Middleton said criminals involved in producing methamphetamine
could not care less.

"We have seen a number of busted labs in homes where P has been
manufactured and the children's milk for Weetbix was kept in the
fridge next to the chemicals they used," he said.

Ms Robinson, who is the personal assistant to the Counties Manukau
district commander for police, said her experiences in dealing with
families affected by the drug went back to the late 1990s.

"I was getting a lot of calls from concerned parents who were totally
helpless and had no idea of what this drug was or what to do with
their sons who had become hooked on P," she said.

Ms Robinson said the availability of the drug was "terrifying" and the
problem was now a community responsibility.