THERE is plenty of support for the call for a cross-border investigation unit to curb the trade of methamphetamine — or ice — on the Border.
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It is stating the obvious to point out that state borders mean little to those who traffic illegal substances up and down our highways.
The call for a cross-border approach by federal Liberal member Sharman Stone comes ahead of a parliamentary hearing into the impact of the drug ice in Wodonga on Monday.
The committee has travelled across the state over the past four months, with hearings at centres that include Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and Traralgon.
What has become clear during the course of those hearings is that methamphetamine has had an effect in regional Victoria like no other drug that has come before it.
It’s easy to manufacture, it is easy to find. It is also frighteningly addictive.
John Ryan, chief executive of drug harm reduction agency Anex, describes ice as an especially dangerous drug.
But he says it is not a problem we can “arrest our way out of”.
He is right. Even if it were possible — and even if the solution was to be found in locking up dealers and users — there are not enough jails to contain them.
Ice has proven to be a pervasive drug.
Its use is not confined to what we might think of as a typical drug user.
Police and drug experts tell us the drug has had an impact at all levels — it’s being used by tradies and white-collar workers, by those who are vulnerable and by those you would not put into that category.
But however their ice story begins, it inevitably ends the same way.
Addicts say they disconnect from society, they no longer feel happy without the drug and, of course, they need more.
That has led to an increase in related crime including burglaries, armed robberies and domestic violence.
As Mr Ryan argues, better education must be a key part of tackling the issue.
One former addict who spoke to The Border Mail today wants to use his experience to educate high school students about the dangers of methamphetamine.
His wake-up call came two years ago when he dived into the shallow waters of a river and broke his neck.
He feels like he has been given a second chance and, as a recovering addict, his can be a powerful voice.
One thing is for sure. The community must work together in coming up with the best tools in the fight against what is an insidious drug.
Monday’s parliamentary hearing is our first step.