DRUG USERS TEST HEALTH BUDGET

Wellington's mental health service is being stretched by young adult drug
users who account for 60 per cent of all admissions and swallow up half of
its $50 million budget.

Peter McGeorge, mental health clinical director for Capital and Coast
Health, said the service was struggling to deal with a generation, now into
their 20s, who had long-term psychiatric problems after becoming hooked on
cannabis and other drugs.

And he warned that should P, or crystal methamphetamine, continue its rapid
rise in popularity, mental health services might not be able to cope.

Those with cannabis and psychiatric problems were partly responsible for
the big growth in individual contacts with Wellington's mental health
services in recent years -- 3591 in 1999 to 6775 in 2002.

"There is a small number of people who are quite high-risk, accounting for
a huge demand on funding and the budget," Mr McGeorge said.

Staff shortages were aggravating the situation.

Four community teams -- which can include a psychiatrist, registrar, social
workers and psychologists -- carry an average caseload of 500 to 600
patients. That load was similar for drug and alcohol and child and
adolescent teams working in the community.

But, with an international shortage in some specialist fields, it was
difficult to add services to improve the caregiver-to-patient ratios.
Setting up a new unit could require up to 40 new staff.

Coroner Garry Evans recommended this year that the Government take caution
in decriminalising cannabis and called for a public education programme to
discourage use of the drug, similar to anti-smoking campaigns.