Mass Media I
Anon. 2003. Any weapon is fair fighting speed in nation's schools. The Daily News, 3 June 2003, 6.
Reports on moves at Kaitaia College to introduce compulsory drug tests for methamphetamine. It cites the risks of the drug, mostly concentrating on the likelihood that methamphetamine use will lead to increased violence. It notes that methamphetamine use is increasingly being cited as a defence in criminal cases, and claims that being under the influence of such a drug should not be a defence - if anything, it should lead to an enhanced punishment, because users should know the potential effects of their substance abuse. This claim is not without merit given how the justice system treats drunk drivers, as the article acknowledges.
The article, though, confuses (deliberately or accidentally) users with innocent children, suggesting that users will not be scared off their drug if "we get side-tracked worrying about the human right to self-destruct". One would suggest that the human rights activists who are "buzzing" at this decision are more worried at the invasion of privacy that compulsory testing poses for the many school children who aren't taking drugs.
The article also begins with an appeal to sympathy, setting up a dichotomy between "human rights activists" and "the rest of the community" who, we are told, will have a lot of sympathy for the school. Which begs the question.
Finally, the article fails to consider a few obvious points that weaken the usefulness of drug testing for amphetamine-type substances. Firstly, the tests aren't perfect and may produce false positives. Secondly, the tests can be cheated. Thirdly, probably most importantly, amphetamines only stay in the bloodstream for around 72 hours. Tests would therefore have to be conducted on Mondays to catch students who had used drugs on a Friday night - and even then some students wouldn't be identified. The article, in its insistence that "more has to be done", pays no attention to the question of whether what is being done will have any effect on the problem.
Anon. 2003. Crack down hard on scourge of P. New Zealand Herald, 7 October 2003.
Describes how methamphetamine use in New Zealand has reached epidemic proportions. A strong government response is required. Methamphetamine is highly addictive and can drive users to psychotic violence. Herald readers have had a series of negative experiences with methamphetamine, including death, violence and depression.
However, requesting stories about negative experiences with P is likely to produce a biased set of responses.
Using other drugs is linked to P, via the discredited 'gateway' theory: 'many people who use P previously used cannabis; therefore cannabis leads to P' - a logical fallacy, assuming 'after this, therefore because of this'.
The paper says government should 'crack down hard', rather than treating drug use as a health problem.
Research from the (flawed) UN study (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2003) is cited uncritically.
Anon. 2003. Deadly drug culture. The Press, 27 September 2003, 10.
Comments on a controversial United Nations report (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2003) showing that methamphetamine use in New Zealand is very high by world standards: "any quibbles over the methodology of this study cannot disguise the fact that these drugs pose a huge social problem".
Even if it is true that the drugs pose a huge social problem, if the methodology of the study is wrong, then New Zealand is not a world-leader in methamphetamine abuse, and therefore most of the article is wrong.
The editorial claims that "[m]iddle-class professional users" believe methamphetamine to be "trendy and less harmful than heroin or cocaine".
No evidence is presented for this claim.
The article claims that there is a link between methamphetamine and crime.
This misses the point that organised crime will associate itself with any illegal substance, because it is illegal.
The article concludes "this is a dangerous and addictive drug [so] shocking reports about its use are to be welcomed".
The accuracy of the reports, it seems, is secondary.
Anon. 2005. Drug trade: cooks hunted down to work for gangs. New Zealand Herald, 18 April 2005. [accessed 9 May 2005].
The methamphetamine business "is so lucrative gangs have fought over cooks. They've even been kidnapped by one gang from another". Policeman Darryl Brazier says that in Auckland "you can't manufacture or distribute methamphetamine without the sanction of an outlaw motorcycle gang". Violence against cooks is reported, but for obvious reasons this is hard to verify. Gangs involved in methamphetamine manufacture are named.
Anon. 2005. Drug trade: the hard sell - making drugs match market. New Zealand Herald, 19 April 2005. [accessed 9 May 2005].
A long feature article on the marketing and manufacture of illegal drugs. The article gets it mostly right, quoting two experts in the field (American chemist Alexander Shulgin, who popularised ecstasy, and New Zealand researcher Chris Wilkins). The article explains the growth and change in the methamphetamine market here, discussing its rise overseas, the beginnings of methamphetamine manufacture in New Zealand, and its spread from the dance scene to a mass market.
The article is noteworthy for discussing how designer drugs appear (and for actually correctly describing what a designer drug is). It does slightly miss the point, claiming that the rise of new drugs is due to fashion and marketing. This may be somewhat true, but in many cases these new drugs are being sold as MDMA - if MDMA were easier to manufacture and distribute, then the substitutes would probably not be sold. There is an interesting description of the testing process for determining what exactly a substance is. Shulgin might take offence at the description of him as "a villain to the law" - his experiments were perfectly legal and conducted with government permission (see Collin, 1998).
Anon. 2003. Ecstasy-case newsman must be jailed. New Zealand Herald, 9 September 2003.
Reports on the sentencing of Darren McDonald, a newsreader convicted of offering to supply ecstasy and conspiring to supply methamphetamine. Argues that McDonald should not be allowed to apply for home detention. The argument offered is that McDonald's public profile should not prevent him receiving a custodial sentence, and that, while drugs may be available in prison, they are equally available outside.
The article points to the damage wrought by methamphetamine, and says that, as a role model, McDonald should receive no lenient treatment - "high-profile, intelligent and successful people like him give the impression that drug use is okay", and "[t]hose who glory in the drugs culture can expect no leniency, no matter how low-level the scale of offending."
Anon. 2003. Getting a handle on drug abuse. The Evening Standard, 29 September 2003.
Discusses the United Nations report on methamphetamine use in New Zealand (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2003). Argues that, while "no sensible person doubts" that drug abuse is a cause of "all manner of social ills", it seems unlikely that the report offers a true reflection of the New Zealand situation. For example, pharmacies claim that the number of P "shoppers" looking for ingredients has declined, and researcher Chris Wilkins claims New Zealand's high ranking in the report is distorted.
Suggests that "before a wholesale moral panic sets in" we need to research exactly what the situation is. The damage caused by alcohol is clear, and worse by far than any other drug. Given the late arrival of P into New Zealand culture, it seems unlikely that New Zealand already has the highest rate of use in the world - and that, if usage was truly that high, there would be more social visibility in terms of violent behaviour change and crime.
The article is well-reasoned and considers a range of evidence.
Anon. 2003. New Zealand cannot pretend that P drug scourge won't happen. The Daily News, 1 October 2003, 6.
Reports on the "scourge" of P use in New Zealand: addicts are "stealing and begging their way through hundreds of thousands of dollars"; losing "businesses and homes", while "children prostitute themselves for it". No sources are cited for these claims.
Ex-users face "lasting physical and mental damage, rendering them capable of being little more than welfare recipients" with their children faring as badly: "the very least the child will face is being raised among adults of limited resources and aspirations, thus repeating the cycle".
These hyperbolic claims are not backed up in any way, and it is difficult to see how the author can be so sure what the long-term effects of P are, when the drug only reached widespread use in the late 1990s.
There is an unintentionally amusing reference to "P, speed, crank, glass, burn and all its falsely cosy names".
Anon. 2005. Pill-popping law should do the trick. New Zealand Herald, 25 May 2005.
Argues that the decision not to criminalise social tonics might be seen as weak, but that a ban would do more harm than good. A far smaller proportion of users end up in casualty wards than alcohol users do. Argues that a ban would drive the drug underground, making it more dangerous.
Disputes STANZ's claim that social tonics keep users away from harder drugs, claiming that "these easily available pills are of uneven quality and are often contaminated with other substances, including illegal drugs such as Ecstasy and methamphetamines".
This is, of course, nonsense. For social tonics to be contaminated with illegal drugs, the manufacturers would have to have methamphetamine or ecstasy present at the manufacturing plant. They would be guilty of manufacturing illegal drugs. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that this is happening.
Anon. 2005. Police shrink as drug gangs get bigger. New Zealand Herald, 18 April 2005.
The number of police assigned to gang-related criminal intelligence is shrinking, even as "international gangsters develop the $1-billion-a-year illicit drugs trade in New Zealand". Police Association head Greg O'Connor says that police have been warning about the methamphetamine problem since 1999, but have been ignored, with police chiefs saying that there wasn't a problem.
Justice Minister Phil Goff describes various changes that have been made to legislation in order to crack down on organised crime.
The article claims that police are being told not to focus on busting clandestine laboratories, because dealing with them is difficult and they make the crime statistics look bad. Because manufacturing is an "invisible" crime, if police don't look for it, no-one will notice that it exists.
Allen, Louis. 2003. P-pushers prey on unborn babies. Truth, 12 September 2003, 4.
One of the more bizarre articles published on the methamphetamine trade in New Zealand. Alleges that drug dealers are giving free methamphetamine to pregnant women, in a bid to "develop a generation of customers addicted from birth [who] will steal and even kill to get money to buy drugs". The article cites "a top cop" as a source, as well as "US drug enforcement agency sources".
It is hard to know where to begin to analyse such an illogical claim. Even though children may be born addicted to drugs when exposed to them in the womb (and there is no firm evidence that this is true in the case of methamphetamine, (see Walsh, 2003), the idea that drug dealers are addicting them now is ludicrous. The dealer would have to wait at least 8 or 10 years for the child to be old enough to "steal or even kill" to raise money to buy drugs. This time lag minimises the chance that the dealer will still be in contact with the child. Even then, it assumes that the child is not cured of its addiction at birth. The fact that the article relies on unnamed sources suggests it is a pure fabrication.
Ansley, Bruce. 2004. Out on the streets. New Zealand Listener, 3 April 2004, 26-7.
According to an American judge New Zealand's tougher drug laws will result in growing violence and drug use. Judge Eleanor Schockett says that prohibition only serves to increase profits for gangs and drug manufacturers, and has done nothing to reduce demand or consumption. Schokett argues that many of the negative effects of drugs are caused by the war on drugs, not by the drugs themselves. She suggests that legalisation would put drug dealers out of business, and that the drug war is placing an overwhelming workload on courts and police, preventing them from focusing on "real problems". The US only developed a drug problem after the drug war began, and New Zealand should not fall into the same trap.
Bain, Helen. 2002. Drug rape: one woman every week falls victim. The Dominion, 4 May 2002, 1.
"One woman a week" is falling victim to drug-assisted rape in Wellington, says Rape Crisis coordinator Amy Ross. The crime is under-reported, and drugs involved include 'LSD, fantasy and ecstasy".
It seems unlikely that ecstasy was involved in such crimes. It tastes extremely bitter and does not dissolve fully in liquid. It is unlikely that someone could take ecstasy unknowingly. They would then have at least half an hour to seek assistance while the drug took effect. It is also worth asking how Ross knows what drugs were used in the rapes. The article doesn't say whether or not blood tests were conducted on the women, which would be the only way of knowing for sure.
Baragwanath, Judith. 2003. Clubland 101. Metro, September 2003, 115-117.
Auckland club owners face a struggle to remain relevant and popular, and problems caused by an over-abundance of events. Drug users reduce club profits as they tend to drink water rather than alcohol. There is a battle between owners, who want to charge for water, and drug users, who need to drink a lot of water. No mention is made of the health risk posed by club owners who turn off bathroom taps to stop clubbers drinking from them.
Methamphetamine is having a negative effect on clubbing: "lots of people are taking a break from the clubs due to the fact that they overdid it with various substances".
Boland, Mary Jane. 2003a. Claim kids selling bodies for drugs. The Dominion Post, 14 April 2003, 5.
Children as young as nine are engaged in prostitution to raise money for drugs, according to youth worker and former gang member Ropata Selwyn. Gavin MacDonald says the police had investigated, but had not found any evidence that this was occurring. Waipareira Trust clinician Russell Phillips said that methamphetamine use was growing, and older children were selling themselves to buy it, though he was unaware of any nine-year-olds doing so.
This article provides more evidence than usual. It interviews a first-hand witness. Of course, he could be mistaken (police claimed they found children "hanging out", but no prostitution). Similar articles use anonymous sources and are hard to verify.
Boland, Mary Jane. 2003b. Highs and lows of E. The Dominion Post, 5 April 2003, 1.
Describes the health risks of a number of drugs (not just ecstasy, as the title would indicate).
Policeman Paul Berry says that methamphetamine addiction is worse than heroin, and claims that he is receiving an increasing number of calls from family members of people with methamphetamine problems.
Psychologist Susan Schenk says that ecstasy and methamphetamine are "frightening". The destruction of serotonin and dopamine neurons may lead to very serious problems in the long-term, such as the possibility of early onset Parkinson's Disease. Other potential effects of ecstasy abuse include "memory loss, sexual dysfunction, anxiety attacks and psychological disorders".
In contrast, an unnamed Auckland ecstasy user says the drug is "bloody safe" with no bad side effects other than temporary comedowns, makes him feel happy, and is even good for women: "because alcohol makes them fat".
Both these claims seem extreme. Schenk doesn't mention that the brain cells damaged by excessive ecstasy use grow back. They do, however, grow back in a different form. This may indicate recovery, or it may indicate that the brain has been permanently damaged. (Schenk does admit that a lot of research still needs to be done to confirm whether her fears will actually come true). In contrast, the user plays down well-documented potential problems of ecstasy use.
Boni, Dita de. 2002. Speed recipe gets 'Craccum' magazine recalled. New Zealand Herald, 29 May 2002.
Auckland University student magazine Craccum was recalled, following publication of an article on how to manufacture methamphetamine. The article reviewed the chemistry, history, effects, and legal issues around the use of the drug, as well as publishing the recipe. Student association president Ross Burns said that the association had no control over the magazine. Editor Colin Mitchell said that the recipe was published "to give the article credibility" and argued that the list of ingredients (including brake fluid) would actually make people less likely to "put this stuff in their bodies".
De Boni doesn't come to any conclusions on this issue, sticking to reporting the facts plus the comments from Mitchell and Burns. De Boni also fails to mention that there is really no particular secret being revealed through this action, as recipes for methamphetamine are easily locatable on the internet.
Booker, Jarrod. 2001. 'Dramatic growth' in use of harder drugs. The Press, 11 September 2001, 11.
Police claim there has been a dramatic increase in the street presence of ecstasy and methamphetamine, following an international trend, and led by the dance/rave culture.
Paul Duxbury of Drug Arm blames the increase on "a degrading of society's standards", without explaining what he means by this. Duxbury says that the problem is "a complacent attitude" that sees drug use as "a normal part of growing up", and criticises the harm reduction model, saying it will only make things worse.
Browne, Alister. 2003. The drugs of Dr Jekyll. The Evening Standard, 30 June 2003, 7.
Reports on the "drug epidemic raging in Palmerston North", with reference to research that is being conducted at Massey University by researcher Chris Wilkins. Wilkins is a respected expert on drugs in New Zealand, and so should be listened to. There is the suspicion that the article author has taken his quotes out of context, or misinterpreted them. Wilkins is quoted as saying New Zealand's "cannabis culture" has led to abuse of methamphetamine, because people see it as similar to cannabis - a "bit of harmless fun on the weekend". The article then repeats the claim that people think the drugs of today are just the same as "the speed kids popped in the 1960s". This seems to be a particularly strong media meme, but there is little or no evidence that users actually think this. It would be instructive to try to find out how many current P users even knew that speed was available in the 1960s.
The article then descends into absurd hyperbole: "[t]he latest [sic] version, methamphetamines [sic], will [keep you awake] all right, but may well also turn you into a psychotic individual who wants to kill. And you run the risk of getting addicted and having to find large sums of money to pay for the habit." While a few methamphetamine users have committed murders, this does not prove that methamphetamine caused them to do so (Gower, 2002). Of course, the vast majority of methamphetamine users have not committed any crimes.
Wilkins makes some relevant points about the speed [sic] at which methamphetamine has spread across New Zealand, and offers some explanations (ease of manufacture; ease of access to ingredients) and about the historical background of the drug.
The article finishes with a comparison between " a group of friends sitting around at the weekend and getting mellow, to violent crime committed by crazy people', and claims "that's the kind of contrast the experts are drawing between the 1960s and the new millennium for there is little that is recreational, they say, about today's drugs." This claim would probably be more effective if the "experts" were named or acknowledged. It also omits the very salient point that marijuana remains by far the most widely-used illegal drug in New Zealand society, in spite of the availability of amphetamine-type substances.