PROFESSOR Nicholas Lintzeris wants to talk about ice. And it is not because the head of drug and alcohol services at South Eastern Sydney Local Health District thinks it’s the biggest issue facing Australia, rather it’s not even close.

“There is a problem with ice in Australia, but we have not seen a marked increase compared to alcohol problems,” he said.

“What is our number one problem? It is alcohol, closely followed by alcohol and number three is alcohol,” he said.

Prof Lintzeris is speaking at a forum on ice hosted by Jewish House at Event Cinemas from 7pm tonight.



In April Prime Minister Tony Abbott launched a national taskforce to tackle ice.

But Prof Lintzeris said the hype around ice was unfounded.

media_camera Associate Professor Nicholas Lintzeris is one of the panellists at an Ice forum. Picture: John Appleyard

He said there had been a minor increase in patients presenting to hospitals but it was far from an “ice epidemic”.

“One of the things we have seen with ice in the last few years is it appears we have got stronger methamphetamine than four years ago,” he said.

“We are not seeing more people using ice, but there have been people who seem to be using more of it and in higher concentrations,” he said.

Prof Lintzeris called for serious discussions about drug ­reform in Australia.

His vision would include controversial ideas such as the ­decriminalisation and legislation of illicit drugs.

The idea was suggested to the Courier by youth worker Matt Noffs in April.



“These are dangerous drugs so rather than letting some drug dealer control dangerous drugs, how about we let a doctor prescribe something that has got a known quantity and is made by a drug company,” he said.

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He argued that any reform should target Australia’s entire drug culture, rather than discriminate and stigmatise ice users, which he argued current campaigns did.

“Ice is methamphetamine, it belongs in the same range of drugs as ritalin, which we prescribe to tens of thousands of schoolchildren,” Prof Lintzeris said.

“We do need a different approach largely because we still approach this, with an underlying sentiment that people that run into problems with drugs it is all volitional, they choose it,” he said.

“There was something wrong with them and they chose it and really they should stop, why can’t they just stop?”

He said Australia was a nation where the majority were now overweight.

“So why don’t we just stop eating, go on, just stop,” he said.

“But then you actually realise that it is not that simple, the way societies get structured means that some people are more vulnerable than others.”