Australia should provide a lot more funding for research and treatment of ice addicts, say experts wary of the federal government's new national taskforce on the drug.
They say previous inquiries didn't lead to the sustained investment needed for health and research initiatives, warning that the taskforce should not just be about law enforcement.
Professor Michael Farrell, Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW, the ANU's Associate Professor Rebecca McKetin and emergency medicine expert Dr David Caldicott were asked about the taskforce during an online media briefing about the drug.
"What we have seen in the past is parliamentary inquiries, summits, ice forums, expert panels and so forth," said Prof McKetin.
"What we really need to see is a sustained investment, particularly in the treatment sector and other services that are used to reduce harm associated with methamphetamine use and that should be a sustained response."
She estimated that less than one-third of ice addicts got treatment and even when they knew where to go, they faced very long waiting lists. Prof Farrell said the taskforce should focus on how to help users, how to develop health services and how to "skill up" the workforce across the drug and alcohol sector to deal with the problem.
A "reasonably significant investment" was needed into improving treatment, rehabilitation and prevention.
Dr Caldicott said he was a little sceptical of the taskforce, referring to previous inquiries and to the "classic Pavlovian" response of diverting resources into law enforcement.
"If we genuinely want to address this problem, rather than give the impression that we are concerned about this problem, we should look at investing significant amounts of money in the health care side of this."
Australian researchers also should be given the resources to address the issues, he said.
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