October 05, 2016
War on drugs rethink needed
The facilitator of a trust working to help people recover from methamphetamine addiction says money used to police supply should instead be used for treatment.
Shane White from Patua te Ngangara says the war on drugs clearly hasn’t worked, with P users saying it would only take them half an hour to find a new supplier if they lost an existing source.
He says other residential facilities like Higher Ground and Odyssey House, who are taking part in a national recovery hui today at Hoani Waititi Marae, confirm the majority of people they treat are on the drug.
He says more than 200 people are on the waiting list for residential rehabilitation.
"Now I’ve got a staff of two. We are the only methamphetamine-specific service in the country. How ridiculous is that. We've been going for 10 years. There's over $150 million proceeds of crime that has been taken off methamphetamine dealers that is still going to deal with the supply, ie, the police. The world has already made that decision. The war on P didn’t work," Mr White says.
New Zealand should take guidance from United Nations agencies who say it’s time for a new approach to drugs.
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