Mass Media IV
Martin, Yvonne. 2001. New Ecstasy drug now in NZ. The Press, 25 January 2001.
PMA, sometimes sold overseas as ecstasy, has arrived in New Zealand. The article erroneously suggests that PMA is a 'variant' of ecstasy, when the two drugs are chemically unrelated. The only link is that one is sold as the other. PMA is described as being "20 times more powerful than amphetamines" (which is obviously meaningless, as more powerful drugs are taken in smaller doses). The author misunderstands drug terminology, mistaking Double Stacked, the slang for a type of pill, for the slang term for PMA as a substance.
Tony Quayle of the National Drug Intelligence Bureau points out that people should be wary of pills sold as ecstasy "unless they know it is from the same batch, they are taking an unknown drug". He also argues that New Zealand is not ready for setting up drug testing stations in nightclubs, something that would solve this problem. Forensic scientist Keith Bedford claims that most ecstasy seized in New Zealand has been remarkably pure, a surprise given common claims that users "could be taking anything".
Matthews, Lee. 2003. Methamphetamine use in NZ reaching `epidemic levels'. The Evening Standard, 26 August 2003, 3.
Reports claims from Drug-Arm coordinator Lew Findlay that 5% of the New Zealand population is using methamphetamine, and his argument that this constitutes an epidemic. The source of this statistic is the Foundation for Alcohol and Drug Education. Findlay says that the number of lab busts in New Zealand had doubled in the past year (presumably taking his figures from the police, though the source isn't stated). Both claims seem reasonable, the 5% figure concurs with the 2001 New Zealand Drug Survey (Wilkins, et al, 2002).
Findlay argues that "information about the dangers of P" needed to be provided to at-risk adolescents: "every teenager". This is perhaps an over-statement, but given that the use of P is not confined to any particular social group, probably not.
The use of language is quite interesting - kids "think they're bullet-proof" - a word that occurs quite often in the anti-drug literature (taken from the play 'ten feet tall and bullet-proof'). Findlay also claims teachers talk about "terrible Tuesdays" - the day when P users 'came down' from the drug, and suffered irritation, exhaustion, and depression. (This phrase is surely a corruption of the "suicide Tuesdays" that ecstasy users (especially in the UK) talk about - a name given mostly out of bravado as a means of downplaying the temporary emotional low that many users feel several days after using the drug).
Matthews, Phillip. 2001. The lost war on drugs. New Zealand Listener, 19 May 2001, p 18-25.
Describes the escalating drug war in New Zealand, including arrests of Sudafed 'shoppers', and the gang link to drug manufacture, including the kidnapping of cooks. Criminologist Greg Newbold says gangs just fill a niche - if they were shut down, others would take their place.
Users say obtaining drugs is easy. Drug seizures are the 'tip of the iceberg', say police. There are calls to reclassify methamphetamine. Newbold argues that methamphetamine is far more of a risk than ecstasy.
McCalley, Andrew. 2005. P 'kiddie packs' latest ploy. The Waikato Times, 24 March 2005. [accessed 8 May 2005, link no longer valid 8 February 2006].
"Drug dealers are luring younger people into the methamphetamine drug market" with "kiddie packs", smaller size doses of methamphetamine that are attractive to younger people with less money, but ultimately leading to the customers committing more burglaries to pay for their addiction, says Policeman Mike Whitehead.
It's hard to know from the article if this is a genuine trend or a one-off example, as no evidence is quoted for the police claim. More systematic research might or might not support the claim. Some support comes from the comments of a 'former methamphetamine manufacturer', though all he says is that smaller deals make the drug more attractive to young buyers, without actually saying that the small deals are taking place.
McLean, Tamara. 2003. P attack victims seek refuge. The Manukau Courier, 24 June 2003.
Women's Refuges are seeing a rise in the number of women whose partners have been using methamphetamine. Refuge workers are dealing with women who they have never seen before, who have been happily married for 20 years until out of nowhere their partner becomes violent. A policeman says that police see at least one case of domestic violence a day where P is involved - and that the violence is of a worse kind than they would typically have seen in the past. Women are reportedly reluctant to leave their partners, because these actions are out of character for them -"they blame the drug, not the man, but this is a serious addiction, not a one-off....you can't separate the drug from the man".
The article says that 20% of abused women have partners who use methamphetamine - but not whether the number of women who are being abused has increased, or by how much. Given that these cases are "new" abusers, it is likely that methamphetamine abuse has led to an increased rate of domestic violence in Auckland (at least) - but there is a lack of information to confirm this.
The article interviews Kerri Brett, Cornell Kluessien, Chic Cooper, and Esther Siliar.
Moore, Dave. 2002. Minimising harm goal of party. The Timaru Herald, 21 January 2002.
Dave Moore, president of the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party, gives his version of the events that occurred at the Gathering dance party [link removed, no longer valid], near Nelson, over New Years 2002.
The ALCP were testing the content of party-goers' ecstasy pills, until their service was shut down by police. The tests were designed to show if substances other than ecstasy were present in the pills.
Moore argues that his service identified two pills as containing substances that are potentially far more dangerous than ecstasy - PMA and DXM. He says that ALCP's goal is harm minimisation, that attempting to persuade people not to take ecstasy would be futile, as they would already have determined to do so. Instead he opted to help party-goers identify the substance they were taking.
Nathan, Te Anga. 1996. Anti-drug group criticises `herbal ecstasy' adverts. Waikato Times, 10 September 1996, 3.
The article reports on advertising for "herbal ecstasy" tablets in the music magazine Rip It Up. The Life Education Trust claims that the advertising would encourage children to experiment with harder drugs.
They provide no evidence or reasoning as to why this should occur, and offer some strange comments such as "people using the "herbal ecstasy" tablets could try the pharmaceutical tablets and end up in "pharmaceutical debt to their own bodies", or become statistics in a growing trend of youth suicide." The meaning of "pharmaceutical debt" is not explained, and there seems no a priori reason why taking ecstasy should lead to an increased risk of suicide (though there are a few case reports in the literature that link use of ecstasy or amphetamines with depression and suicide attempts, there do not appear to be any large-scale studies of this issue, and at any rate, causality will always be difficult to determine). They also point to a "growing trend" of youth suicide, when in fact youth suicides are declining.
On the other hand, Nature's Kingdom, the sellers of the herbal ecstasy, make the unproven claim that "It's a herbal product which is much better for you", and seem to believe that, because it is herbal, it isn't a drug. The claim that herbal products are 'safer' than 'chemical' ones is a common one, and would eventually lead to problems as the later generation of legal highs, were branded as 'herbal highs', laying their promoters open to charges that they were misrepresenting their products in order to make them appear safe, even though they aren't actually marketed as herbal anymore.
NZPA. 1998. Police quiet on Greens' drug test. The Evening Post, 25 November 1998, 23.
A balanced though shallow look into the issue of drug testing. The Wild Greens (youth wing of the Green Party) were offering a drug testing service, where they would test samples of pills to determine their actual drug content, with the hope of identifying pills that contained substances other than ecstasy that were more dangerous than ecstasy. Both Nandor Tanczos and Jeanette Fitzsimmons (Green Party MPs) are quoted as claiming that the tests are about education and harm reduction, and that they "don't encourage people to take drugs but. recognise that [they] do".
Policeman Cam Ronald claimed police would "simply enforce the law" and not get into a debate about the tests, pointing out the penalties for supply of ecstasy. Auckland barrister David Jones points out that a person handing the drug to the Green Party testers would technically be guilty of supply.
NZPA. 1998. Influx of new drugs feared. The Press, 26 October 1998, 9.
This article is interesting primarily because it contains the first mention of ice (and perhaps of methamphetamine). The use of stimulants in New Zealand is on the rise, including ecstasy and cocaine. Ecstasy is linked, probably inaccurately, with violence: "people who took uppers, which include the designer drug ecstasy....get in fights, they're more destructive". Ecstasy users are not, typically, violent.
The article illustrates the difficulty with drug names, something seen commonly with reporting of P. P has been taken to stand for "pure" methamphetamine (e.g. a very highly concentrated version of the drug, as opposed to normal methamphetamine, or speed, which is typically only about 10% pure). Others use "P" to refer to the smokeable form of methamphetamine. The smokeable form of methamphetamine is also sometimes known as ice, as in this article.
Later articles (e.g. Allen, 2003) refer to ice as a "new" threat to New Zealand. A common theme in the media is the claim that a new (and always more dangerous and addictive) variant of an already-known drug is about to arrive in New Zealand. The imminent arrival of ya ba (a Thai form of speed), crack, ice, and PMA have all been wrongly predicted.
NZPA. 1998. Clubber's death may be NZ's first Ecstasy fatality. The Evening Post, 22 October 1998, 9.
Reports the initial investigation into the death of Ngaire O'Neill, New Zealand's first ecstasy fatality. Drug counsellor Simon Nimmo discusses ecstasy-related deaths, correctly mentioning water intoxication as a potential cause of death. (O'Neill did in fact die from water intoxication).
Auckland policeman Lance Burdett claims witnesses informed him that O'Neill's drink was spiked - "if that was the case then it's a homicide". Paul Johnson, head of security at the club, says that ecstasy is too expensive to be used to spike drinks.
This makes sense, though it is seldom heard in New Zealand. While drink spiking certainly occurs, using a stimulant such as ecstasy, that doesn't dissolve well in water, to render someone unconscious seems unlikely.
NZPA. 1999. Ecstasy death trend warning. The Dominion, 22 January 1999, 10.
Following the death of Ngaire O'Neill, the Foundation for Alcohol and Drug Education (FADE) states that there are likely to be further deaths from ecstasy and argue that it should be re-classified as Class A.
Coroner Mate Frankovich says "we have lost a very attractive young woman who, I'm satisfied, was completely unaware of the effects of this dreadful drug" and makes some dogmatic statements about the health risks of ecstasy, which have yet to be proven. The explanation of her death shows a misunderstanding of the nature of water intoxication.
Frankovich's reflect the archetype of the young, attractive, innocent female ecstasy victim. The most famous ecstasy deaths are always female (O'Neill, Leah Betts, Anna Wood). Male users tend to be seen as either predators (spiking females' drinks); as gung ho (aware of the risks, but taking them anyway); or as possessed of a tragic flaw, losing a promising career to drugs (e.g. Simon Poelman).
NZPA. 2001. Heat goes on authorities to stop flow of party drugs. The Dominion, 17 October 2001, 11.
Claims that the demand for amphetamine type substances such as speed and ecstasy is increasing, and that police and customs are under pressure to deal with this problem. Says that Police have called for more powers to deal with the problem, including reclassification of methamphetamine. Reports Police claims that crimes are increasing as a result of the spread of methamphetamine - both because gangs are kidnapping family members of drug 'cooks' in order to force the cooks to work for them, and because addicts are committing burglaries to pay for their drug use. Curiously, the burglary rate overall is down, but those who are committing burglaries are doing it to buy drugs.
The article claims that a new and powerful form of speed has come on the market, known as ice or pure. This is quite interesting because the media would claim again, in 2004, that ice was a new drug, more powerful than P. As this article makes clear, ice and P are different names for the same substance, crystal methamphetamine, the smokeable version of methamphetamine.
While this article isn't particularly interesting on its own, it is interesting when read in combination with other articles that show that the media unquestioningly accepts police claims about the nature of the drug economy in New Zealand, without examining its own records to show that police claims contradict each other over time.
NZPA. 2001. Ecstasy user tells why it attracts her. The Evening Post, 11 April 2001, 16.
Interviews a Nelson woman who describes taking ecstasy at the Gathering dance party. It brought on feelings of euphoria, made her happy and talkative and want to touch people. She experienced only minor side effects (fatigue; a sore jaw).
It's worth noting that the woman had only used ecstasy twice. New users often experience what is known as a 'honeymoon' period, where they experience no negative effects, and very strong positive effects, from their ecstasy usage. The article might have been better if it had also interviewed a more experienced user.
The article is at pains to point out that the 19-year-old woman is "an A-bursary graduate and former school council member". It also notes that she knew Dai Bowden, the Nelson man who was the third New Zealand ecstasy fatality.
NZPA. 2001. Taupo `awash' with hard drugs. The Dominion, 13 October 2001, 5.
There has been a sharp rise in the use of "hard" drugs in Taupo, with police arresting a group of people on charges of supplying methamphetamine. Police say that abuse of amphetamines is the cause of the increase in violent offending, and that much of the crime in New Zealand is the work of drug abusers.
The article claims that "nice" people are involved in buying speed, "not just the criminal element or dance ravers", but people with "nice homes and good jobs", according to policeman Graham Bell.
The article reports these comments uncritically, but they deserve further examination. Firstly, 'ravers' would object to being compared to criminals. Secondly, there is the implied distinction between people with nice homes and good jobs, and ravers. Leaving aside the fact that many ravers are actually gainfully employed, drawing such distinctions is bad from a policing point of view. If one assumes that "nice" people don't use drugs, one is unlikely to attempt to police drug crime in "nice" areas. This will result in more arrests of working class people, fuelling the belief that they are the ones who use drugs, and increasing the amount of police surveillance they face.
NZPA. 2002. Drug-making gangs purchase materials online. The Dominion, 10 January 2002.
Reports that gangs involved in the manufacture of methamphetamine are turning to the internet in a bid to import the raw materials needed to make the drug. Policeman Bill Bishop says that increased vigilance among pharmacy staff is making it harder for gangs to acquire pseudoephedrine (which the article misspells as "pseudoethedrine" all the way through), an ingredient in cold remedies that can be turned into methamphetamine.
The article is reasonably well-written with quotes from a Customs official as well as Detective Superintendent Bishop on issues surrounding online purchasing. It does tend to veer towards the obvious (one wonders when the media will stop writing about something that happened 'on the internet', as if it is a strange place disconnected from the real world. No-one writes articles such as 'drug gangs using telephones to set up deals').
NZPA. 2002. Ecstasy drug use spiralling say police. Stuff, 4 December 2002.
Police claim that use of ecstasy is "spiralling" in New Zealand, based on a 2000 per cent increase in the rate of seizure of the drug over the previous two years.
Police claim that dealers make huge profits, because tablets can be made for $1 and sold for $80.
They don't explain that the drug would have passed through many middlemen by the time it reached the street.
Police claim that "over three or four nights a week [ecstasy] becomes a reasonably expensive habit" - an absurd claim, as no-one in New Zealand takes ecstasy this frequently (Wilkins et al, 2002), and it would have almost no effect on them anyway, due to serotonin depletion. Police suggested that "[o]nce [children] get dragged into the drug sub-culture a lot of their normal friends won't want to know them because of that violent, paranoid-type behaviour" - also an absurd claim, possibly relevant to methamphetamine, but not to ecstasy.
NZPA. 2002. Drug strategy distant. The Evening Post, 8 April 2002, 2.
Police are a long way from developing a national plan to deal with methamphetamine trafficking, says Police Association president Greg O'Connor. The Association warned in 1998 that New Zealand was being swamped with methamphetamine.
Criticism is often directed at politicians for not providing the police with enough resources, yet this article shows that Police do not have a plan to deal with the problem, in spite of knowing it was on its way.
NZPA. 2004. Legal party drugs sold without labels dangerous: watchdog. New Zealand Herald, 23 December 2004. [accessed 11 May 2005].
A 'turf war' between Christchurch social tonic retailers is leading to an increase in hospital admissions among young people. Ross Bell of the Drug Foundation alleges that BZP-based products are being sold in high doses and in unmarked bags, so people take more than they expect, and exceed safe doses.
Matt Bowden of STANZ tells users to avoid products that lack dosage information. He says that most manufacturers take a responsible approach to the marketing of their products. Bowden does admit that there is a problem in Christchurch, noting that far more users are turning up at hospital with problems in Christchurch than in Auckland.
Perry, Keith. 1999. Police fear new killers as Ecstasy use soars. New Zealand Herald, 22 January 1999.
Reports that ecstasy use in New Zealand has "soared", and claims that the "lessons" of the death of Ngaire O'Neill are being ignored by drug users.
Some factual information on O'Neill's death is provided, including an explanation of water intoxication. The article refutes earlier claims that O'Neill's drink was spiked, quoting her friend Jason Leota as saying she had previously used ecstasy, and had been advised to claim that her drink had been spiked in order to avoid a drugs charge.
Scaremongering claims are made about the imminent arrival in New Zealand of ecstasy "derivatives" that are "33 times more powerful than ecstasy". Neither of the drugs mentioned, DOB or 4MTA, is chemically related to ecstasy. The claim that they are 33 times more powerful is superficially scary, but actually meaningless - if one drug is more powerful than another, then users merely take less of the drug to achieve the same effect.
It's worth noting that these drugs never arrived in New Zealand in any significant volume.
The article interviews Dr Les Galler, and Mike Small of the National Drug Intelligence Bureau.
Philp, Matt. 2002. Gangland rising. Metro, (Jun): 34-45.
Gang crime is increasing in Auckland, especially methamphetamine manufacture. The rise of P is basically a marketing gimmick, as the purity of "P" varies from 45% to 92%. P use crosses social boundaries - it can be used by students, by small businesspeople in need of energy, or by those who want to spend all night talking in online chatrooms.
Gangs are increasingly run like businesses, with conflict between gangs only occurring when the market is tight. This may be the beginning of true organised crime in New Zealand. The manufacturing scene is characterised by paranoia, made worse by the effects of methamphetamine, and by the fact that manufacturers do many people are out to rip each other off.
Criminologist Greg Newbold disputes that most manufacturing is gang-related. Newbold suggests that police opposition to gangs relates to money, not drugs - that police would stop gangs from getting liquor licenses or making money legitimately. There is no evidence of an epidemic, and most people who use methamphetamine will not develop a problem.
This last claim is confirmed by research, (e.g. Wilkins et al, 2004).
Newbold argues that the connection between general crime and methamphetamine is not proven - the people who use meth tend to be part of the criminal subculture already, so proving cause and effect is difficult. Police think differently, though. Most methamphetamine-related crime happens to people involved with the drug, not civilians.
Discusses the process of acquiring ingredients for different drugs, the increasing number of laboratories being seized, and the dangers of the manufacturing process.