POLICE AND MAORI FIGHT BACK AT 'P' EXPLOSION

Police, fearing that methamphetamine use is at crisis point, say it is
critical the wider community knows addiction can stem from a single use of
the drug.

A group of police and Maori leaders, who are taking an educational roadshow
around schools, health organisations and Maori groups, say people weep when
they learn how dangerous the drug can be and how easily it is to become
addicted.

Methamphetamine, also known as P, speed, meth, crank or goey, is a
synthetic drug cooked up mostly in illegal gang-controlled laboratories
from readily available ingredients.

The drug, associated with a major rise in violent crime, stimulates the
central nervous system and users often lose the ability to think rationally.

North Shore/Waitakere police iwi liaison officer Constable John Cassidy,
who helped developed the educational presentation Patua Te Ngangara
(Battling the Devil), said some people were heavily addicted to the drug
after using it only once.

He said there was very little to educate people about the dangers of P,
which was why the Patua Te Ngangara programme was developed.

Addicts were now spread across all levels of society, many unaware until
too late that it was not a "social" drug.

Many domestic disputes were fuelled by methamphetamine use and had grown
increasingly violent, often involving weapons. Users became "psychotic",
aggressive and some found strength they did not have previously.

Mr Cassidy said the Patua Te Ngangara programme was to educate people about
the symptoms of methamphetamine users, the long-term effects and the dangers.

The 100-minute presentation often had a profound effect on the audience,
sometimes because it suddenly explained the behaviour of relatives or students.

"We did one yesterday to 46 teachers and a couple of them openly cried. One
woman walked out and had to come back in."

He said the use of methamphetamine was nearly out of control.

The profile of drug users had changed dramatically in the past few years
and many methamphetamine users were "young kids" who had buckled to peer
pressure and suddenly become hooked.

He described the gangs who peddled the drug, often targeting teenage
schoolgirls to get them hooked, as "bastards".

"They give them a few free hits and later, once they are hooked, they come
back and say, 'You owe us some money. You owe us a couple of grand.'.

"The kids can't pay that so they get it by other means - prostitution and
crime."