Crystal Meth in Sunshine Coast: Major Regional Stimulant Market

Crystal Meth in Sunshine Coast: Major Regional Stimulant Market

Methamphetamine (commonly referred to as ‘Ice’) poses a severe drug threat. The Sunshine Coast, a major coastal urban area in Queensland, is a significant regional stimulant market. Drug consumption is often higher per head of population in regional areas compared to capital cities. The region is a key node in Queensland’s high-use state profile. The Sunshine Coast’s rapid population growth places added strain on social and health services dealing with the high prevalence of drug harms, with ATS trafficking flowing up and down the coast from major ports.

Regional Usage and Sourcing

• National Context:
Australia’s methamphetamine consumption per capita is among the highest globally. Queensland is consistently identified as a high-use state for ice.
• Regional Consumption:
Regional areas frequently show higher per capita use rates of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS).
• Sourcing and Trafficking:
Methamphetamine is imported via sea cargo and mail, primarily originating from China, Hong Kong, and increasingly, Canada. TCOs actively target the region’s illicit drug market.
• Forms:
Crystal methamphetamine (‘Ice’) is the dominant form, especially among regular users.

Severe Health and Social Consequences

The use of high-purity crystal meth is strongly associated with severe chronic and acute health problems, impacting individuals, families, and communities, and incurring significant societal costs.

Physical Effects

• Cardiovascular Damage:
Methamphetamine is a potent vasoconstrictor, leading to acute effects like stroke, heart attack, hypertensive crises, and chronic conditions like cardiomyopathy (heart failure). Deaths involving psychostimulants have risen four-fold in Australia since 2000.
• Systemic Toxicity:
High doses risk fatal or non-fatal overdose (‘overamping’), severe seizures, and dangerous overheating (hyperthermia).
• Dental and Infections:
Users frequently suffer from severe weight loss, poor nutrition, and debilitating dental problems (“meth mouth”). Injecting meth significantly increases the risk of blood-borne viruses like Hepatitis C and HIV, as well as severe skin and heart infections (endocarditis).

Psychological Effects

• Psychosis and Paranoia:
Long-term use causes severe functional and structural changes in the brain’s dopamine system, leading to impaired verbal learning and memory. Users frequently experience severe psychological distress and methamphetamine-induced psychosis, often featuring paranoid delusions and aggression.
• Cognitive Impairment:
Users may suffer from reduced motor speed and significant deficits in memory, attention, and verbal learning.
• Chronic Distress:
Many dependent users experience high levels of anxiety, confusion, insomnia, and mood disturbances.

Social and Community Impact

• Criminal Justice Burden:
The criminal justice system accounts for the largest single cost domain of methamphetamine in Australia. Use is associated with acquisitive and violent offending, increasing the strain on police and courts.
• Societal Costs:
The drug incurs massive costs in healthcare (hospital admissions, treatment for blood-borne diseases), lost productivity (absenteeism), and child maltreatment.
• Treatment Access:
Methamphetamine accounts for over 80% of amphetamine treatment episodes in Australian AOD services. Stigma and discrimination are significant barriers to users seeking help.

Legality and Penalties in Australia (Queensland)

Methamphetamine is classified as a Schedule 8 controlled drug in Australia. The legal framework operates under the state-based Drugs Misuse Act 1986 (QLD) and federal law for importation.

• Possession Penalties (State):
Simple possession carries a maximum penalty of 2 years imprisonment.
• Trafficking/Commercial Quantity (State):
Offences involving trafficking are subject to maximum penalties ranging up to 25 years imprisonment.
• Federal Importation:
Importing a commercial quantity of methamphetamine (a border controlled drug) carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment