NEW DRUG, FRESH PERIL

THE seizure of a large quantity of "ice" sent a shiver through Australia
yesterday. Ice is another name for methamphetamine -- a powerful central
nervous system stimulant that has parents and governments all around the
world worried.

The Gold Coast known as a party city and therefore as a target area for
party-drug traffickers, should be on the alert for this highly addictive
substance.

The frightening element of this drug is its devastating effect on the human
body. It works directly on the brain and spinal cord to distort thought
patterns and virtually all other systems throughout the body. In overdose,
it can cause high fever, convulsions and heart failure, leading to death.

It is believed the drug lords in China and southern Asia have begun an
export drive of ice to Australia, signalling their determination to turn
many of our young people into addicts and create a steady market.

It seems that every year brings a new, deadly drug to our shores.

And, despite the best efforts of federal authorities and regular drug-busts,
the drug traders simply keep trying. Catch one, and another bobs up in his
place.

If we are to save hundreds of people each year from agony or even death, the
education program to combat this drug menace must be made stronger. We must
fight harder than those who seek to make money out of other people's misery.