Senator Lambie hopes her 21-year-old son's battle with ice addiction will mobilise support for new laws to give parents the power to force their children into drug treatment
Senator Lambie described her son's anger after she publicly revealed his ice addiction, but said she had to do it to help him.
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The Tasmanian Senator is proposing a private members bill where ice addicts could be forced into detoxing centres by family members.
But those working with addicts say the use of force by family isn't the answer.
"The young person needs to keep that bond going with family. That needs to be kept at all costs, even if the person has left home. Also you want the young person to want to be there - that really helps with treatment,” said Matt Noffs, of the Noffs Foundation.
Former users say addicts have to want to change for rehab to be effective so forcing them into rehab might not work.
"Forcing them into rehab might work but they can always leave on their own free will,” says a 17-year-old who is being treated by the foundation.
Northern Territory Police Minister Peter Chandler, who spoke about his son's ice addiction this week, also says forcing kids into detox isn't the answer.
"It is devastating but I think the only way to deal with something like this is not only through education but also through family support,” he said.
Since the revelation about her son, Senator Lambie has had a flood of calls from fellow senators pledging support for her involuntary detox laws.
"I did not warn anyone I would do this. I was not sure I would have the courage to stand up in the Senate to talk about this," Senator Lambie said.
"But the bottom line is I decided to walk the gauntlet. I'm running out of options for my son and I have to get to the other end - I have to get to the other end and hopefully he will come and ask me for help."
Senator Lambie said her son had been open in past media interviews about his history with drugs, and over the years had been involved with various rehab programs, which had helped him.
But things took a sinister turn when he began experimenting with ice, and his erratic behaviour forced her to ask him to move out of the family home two months ago.
But she said an overwhelming sense of powerlessness and a desperate desire to help him, drove her to make the revelation in the Senate as she pleaded for action on Australia's ice epidemic.
"I spoke to him last night. He is very, very angry at me, obviously. But, you know, I'm running out of options," she told the Nine Network.
"We are watching their lives vanish in front of us and we cannot do anything. It is just awful."
-With AAP
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