But while pressure mounts on authorities to develop strategies and solutions to the unfolding crisis, The Ted Noffs Foundation's School Program – the only specialised drug and alcohol counselling service for state high schools – is about to be axed. Although NSW Police ice lab busts have doubled over five years and AFP border detections have risen by more than 800 per cent in three years, the drug continues to cut a swath through families. According to a new University of NSW study of more than 1000 youngsters referred to a Noffs' residential rebailitation program in the past five years, ice – and other amphetamine type stimulants – has skyrocketed as their drug of greatest concern. UNSW researcher and senior lecturer in Public Health Dr Sally Nathan said: "While cannabis and alcohol are still a major factor, this data tells us that more young people are using ice – and they are more worried about it than ever before. "It is high time we, as a society, had a serious debate about the options ahead ... because we do not appear to be making great inroads in our public health or law-and-order response today." The NSW government has funded the Noffs School Program since the 1999 Drug Summit called by former Premier Bob Carr. It provides vital counselling and support for students within the school environment. But despite more than 1000 teenagers from 24 schools having reached out to the service this year, the Baird government will end the $322,500 funding arrangement next month.

Matt Noffs, CEO of the Ted Noffs Foundation, said wide ranging reforms that flowed from the parliamentary Drug Summit 15 years ago had made NSW one of the "safest communities in the world". But he added: "Ask police, ask paramedics, speak to the kids themselves … Ice has changed everything." While the NSW Department of Education forbids teaching staff from speaking publicly, The Sun-Herald has viewed alarming correspondence from principals, whichnot only exposes the impact ice is having in schools but also the gap that will be left when the School Program is cancelled In March, one principal, from Sydney's northern beaches, requested counselling services from Noffs following an "issue in school" in which a student had suffered a "bad episode" on the drug. The letter stated: "Police were called and the student taken to East Wing at Manly hospital. This has caused a lot of talk between the students with some now starting conversations on their own heavy drug use." Last month, another school head, from Sydney's inner west, expressed concern for between five and 10 students within his school, whom he believed had fallen prey to the drug.

"Ice use has increased in this area and some of our students are using it. Am worried these students will influence the other students," the principal wrote. Another in Sydney east, said in June: "We need help", adding the school was "hearing from students who don't want to name names but say… friends are using ice and are worried." On Friday, a Department of Education spokesman confirmed "funding to the Ted Noffs Foundation will cease at the end of 2014," but said such services could still be accessed by schools, if and when required, through their own allocated budgets. "In 2015 the NSW government is providing $664 million in needs-based funding to principals and school communities to enable them to support students ... to run relevant programs, such as those offered by the Ted Noffs Foundation," he said. While national data shows methamphetamine use remained stable across the general population, latest available figures from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre revealed that amphetamine related hospital admissions are at a 19-year high among 10-19 year olds.

Last week, The Sun-Herald While their individual stories differ, each agrees they were hooked on the drug from the very first try. Soon after, all emotional empathy and attachment to loved ones disappeared "out of the window" as the drug swiftly dehumanised them into desperate addicts. Sxteen-year-old Lisa, not her real name, from Newcastle, was just 12 when she first smoked ice with her boyfriend. "A couple of years later, I started injecting. From there I just sank," she said. Fighting back tears, she said: "I did some pretty bad stuff. But looking back, the worst of all was stealing from my grandma ... she is now dead.

"You become a person you never thought you could be." eduff@fairfaxmedia.com.au Fairfax media is once again supporting the Global Drug Survey, the largest survey of drug use patterns in the world. Please take some time to visit http://www.globaldrugsurvey.com/GDS2015/ and fill in the survey, to help us get a snapshot of your drug and alcohol use.