Ice: cool drug or real problem?

Crystalline methamphetamine usage can wreak havoc in emergency departments

“Ice”, or crystalline methamphetamine, is a relatively new drug in Australia. It may be injected intravenously or swallowed, but is increasingly consumed by smoking. With about 1.8 million Australians (9%) reporting ever using methamphetamine and about half a million Australians aged 14 years and older (3.2%) reporting current use of the drug,1 Australia is among the top dozen countries in the world in terms of prevalence of methamphetamine use.2 However, its use varies considerably across the country, being higher in some states — such as Queensland (especially the Gold Coast region), South Australia and Western Australia3 — than others.