May 02, 2018
Jail only option for some meth addicts to get help
A Gisborne anti-methamphetamine campaigner says the government need to put resources into harm reduction and addressing demand rather than throwing more money at trying to block supply.
Tuta Ngarimu says for the past decade millions of dollars have been spent on policing and border control but there is more meth on the streets at ever cheaper prices.
He is pushing for a detox and treatment centre for Tairawhiti, where he says drug use is tearing lives apart.
"You’ve got whanau now who’ve been awake for 14 days and around these whanau they’ve got tamariki in that space. So you imagine the wairua of someone who’s been awake for 14 days and if this person wants to get out of there and get support the only option for him is to go and do something where he will get arrested," Mr Ngarimu says.
He has lodged a claim with the Waitangi Tribunal against the Health Ministry’s response to the problem, including its population-based formula which means fewer resources go into areas of high need like Tairawhiti.
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