It is no secret that over the past 20 years, crystal methamphetamine use and addiction rates have soared across Australia. The drug has been prevalent in Australian society ever since the 1990s, however in recent years the drug has seen something of a comeback due to the increasing price and dwindling demand for drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy.
As such dealers, in an attempt to maximize their profits and tap into the new market, have been increasingly desperate to produce and supply the methamphetamine users in their area. This has led to an increased level of violent crime and drug-related arrests across Australia.
Unlike drugs such as cocaine, Methamphetamine is a largely “home cooked” drug, meaning that both users, dealers and those who are a combination of the two are more than capable of creating crystal methamphetamine is given the correct materials. As such, the prevalence of dealers and suppliers using rented residential buildings to produce the drug.
The main issue lies not in the smoking of the drug, but rather the production of it. The process to make crystal methamphetamine is a dangerous and potentially violently reactive chemical process fraught with danger, which has led to a number of deaths and accidental fires over the years. However, even when done correctly, the fumes and chemical smoke created from the drug can have lasting, long term health effects on not just people producing, but those who rent houses that have become contaminated with these chemicals.
This has become such a widespread problem in the state of Western Australian, in the city of Perth in particular, and legislators there are considering a radical new solution to try and tackle this issue head-on. Within the next two years, legislative reform is expected to take place regarding mandatory methamphetamine contamination in rented properties across the state. This would more than likely only affect homes which had been identified as having a history of meth activity.
The reasoning behind the approach
Firstly, the aim of this new proposal is to protect unknowing renters from potentially moving into a house contaminated with meth production byproducts. According to new research from Flinders University adjunct researcher, Jackie Wright, long term exposure to meth-contaminated properties can cause a host of health problems, such as rashes, eye irritations and asthma-like symptoms. Therefore the main purpose of this idea is to limit the exposure of the general population to these harmful chemicals and limit the potential harm done.
The secondary advantage of a legislative change of this nature will be that renters, landlords and housing associations can now hold individual tenants to account for their actions while renting or residing in their properties. This gives greater security and ability to pursue legal action against those found to be responsible for contaminating a property and remunerate landlords for the damages done. This is hoped to help drive meth production away from both individual properties and residential areas in general.
How this will affect addicts?
Being addicted to methamphetamine in Australia is already fraught with risk as things stand currently. Crystal methamphetamine s currently a Schedule 8 drug. Meaning that it is in one of the most serious categories of illegal substance to found in possession of. If you are caught with methamphetamine then you could face up to 3 years in prison just for possession. Trafficking and selling of the drug has a wide variety of sentences but could range from 3 years to life depending on the severity. Furthermore, having a record of drugs charges can also affect your future employment and housing in some states, this can be particularly devastating if you work in an industry working with children or other vulnerable persons.
In addition to this, with this new legislation in the works, methamphetamine addicts in Western Australia will also find themselves at the wrong end of a civil proceeding that will most likely leave you responsible for producing and smoking meth in your property If it is rented. This could also affect your residential prospects in certain places in the future, particularly if prospective landlords and mortgage providers ask for references and background clearances.
However, the long term physical and psychological effects of long use should be the main reason for wanting to receive treatment for methamphetamine addiction. Long term use can have a number of serious physical effects on your body, such as severe gum and dental damage, long term damage to specialized brain cells and in cases of extremely heavy use can also lead to a stroke, which can leave lasting and irreparable brain damage which can leave you requiring care for the rest of your life.
Probably the worst effects of long term methamphetamine use are its psychological effects and the way it affects your relationships with everybody in your life. Using crystal meth causes a range of issues such as increased anxiety and paranoia, psychotic tendencies and depression and even suicidal thoughts and both visual and auditory hallucinations. Also, one’s dependency on the drug can also lead to undesirable behaviour in an effort to fund their habit. Addicts often find themselves lying, cheating and stealing from the people who love and trust them the most. Sometimes irreparably damaging some relationships permanently.
Clarity Rehabilitation, based out of Chaing Mai, Thailand, can help you to work through the trauma that is suffered by drug addicts. There are many considerations to take in the treatment of methamphetamine addicts in order to ensure that their success is permanent and that they have sufficient coping mechanisms to help them get back into the real world.
We have the facilities, expertise and highly qualified staff and counsellors in order to help guide those lost to drug addiction back onto the right track. We can help construct a path to recovery that takes into account you as an individual and your needs and requirements. Contact us today to speak with one of our staff or find out more about our facilities.
