YOUNG people in Griffith are trading sexual favours to fuel their addiction to ice, according to alcohol and other drugs counsellor Sid Barone.
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Mr Barone said alcohol remained the number one issue in the city when it came to addiction, but the number of referrals for cannabis and amphetamine abuse were now on a par.
“It’s getting progressively worst,” he said.
“We know anecdotally of young girls and boys selling themselves in Griffith in sexual favours in return for money or the drug itself.”
Mr Barone said other users sold ice to family and friends to fuel their addiction, while other chronic abusers of the drug turned to crime.
He said ice was cheaper than it ever had been, with the average point costing $50.
“We’ve heard it being as low as $30 a point (one tenth of a gram). The regular price now is $50 when it used to be $100.
“There’s more of the stuff available.”
Mr Barone said a chronic user may consume between two and four points a day.
He said the city needed a stimulant treatment clinic.
“We need a stimulant treatment program with a prescribing doctor who would assess patients on their severity of dependence and possibly even prescibe lisdexamfetamine,” he said.
“That helps them at least get out of their dependency and life of crime – it’s very similar to the methadone program.”
The frightening revelations come after the Country Women’s Association of NSW provided $277,874 to the Salvation Army to provide mobile drug-support services.
However, despite being earmarked as one of three regions in desperate need of a treatment facility, Griffith missed out on funding.
“It’s a bit disappointing Griffith didn’t get the money but I think those areas are perhaps a bit more disadvantaged,” Mr Barone said.
CWA NSW president Tanya Cameron said alcohol and other drugs had a horrifying impact on people, their families and communities.
“Many drugs, including alcohol, are a problem, however the one we hear most about on the news is ice,” she said.
“Addictions, such as to ice, are devastating and have life-changing consequences.
“They change people’s personalities, hurt families and rip apart the fabric of rural communities.”
Mrs Cameron said being forced to travel for treatment was a barrier for many addicts.