Collins Judith: Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill (No 3) — First Reading 
Collins Judith: Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill (No 3) — First Reading 
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JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
: 
 The National Party will support this bill. We are certainly very pleased to see that some action is being taken to try to deal with the problem of methamphetamines which is certainly a growing problem. I think the fact that we hear that the police are dealing with more and more clandestine laboratories for the manufacture of methamphetamines indicates that that is simply the tip of the iceberg. Although a number of laboratories are found and dismantled and a number of prosecutions come from that there is likely to be a significant number that are not found or dealt with but continue to thrive no matter how many times people are told about and see the results of the use of methamphetamines. In an ideal world and an ideal country we would be able to say to people—intelligent adult people; New Zealanders—that they can just decide on the things that they want to take because we know they will make the right choices. But unfortunately when it comes to drugs like methamphetamines there is no safe dosage. Although the police tell me—as they do—that alcohol is the No. 1 drug that they have the most difficulty with they do understand and we understand that alcohol for instance is a drug that does have safe tolerance levels. Methamphetamines unfortunately do not. 
At this moment I would like to give a bit of praise to the pharmaceutical people and to the pharmacies themselves. In many ways—certainly in my electorate of Clevedon and particularly in Papakura—they have gone out of their way to try to stop pseudoephedrine and other drugs like it that are used in the manufacture of methamphetamines from being bought and used for the manufacture of that particular drug. I think that is a very very good instance of the pharmacy people getting together and deciding that is the right thing for them to do. They are not required by law to do it and in some parts of the country they do not do it at all. But in places like Rotorua Papakura and Manukau City there is a widespread belief by the pharmacies and pharmacists that they should help to deal with that particular issue. I congratulate them on that and I think that members of the House would share the view that that is a very very sensible move. The problem for those of us who do not manufacture methamphetamines but who may wish to have a cold medicine is that it does make it more difficult for the legitimate purchaser to obtain those medicines. But those things can be dealt with and I think that we do owe the pharmacists a vote of thanks. 
In terms of methamphetamines as the Minister has rightly said there has been a big increase. In New Zealand we are dealing with a rise in not only the amount of methamphetamines manufactured here but also in those being brought into the country by way of illegal importation. One of the issues that is very very relevant is the resourcing and outputs of people in the New Zealand Customs Service and the New Zealand Immigration Service to make sure that they are given the resources to be able to deal with the situation. We need to have intelligence-gathering in other countries and we need very much to have an attitude that we will not accept this country being awash with methamphetamines. I am very pleased to hear the Minister speak in those terms. In this particular area however we do need to be vigilant. One of the problems with any sort of legislation is that it is always somewhat retrospective so we are acting after the event. Unfortunately methamphetamines have grown in terms of their use their availability and the addictions that have come from them in the last 5 years. Too little has been done for too long. I am glad that we are now to take the issue seriously. 
I am concerned that some children are being brought up in homes where methamphetamine use is a way of life. Prostitution is being indulged in on the basis that it pays for methamphetamine habits. There is no safe level of methamphetamine use. The brain damage that can ensue from that particular activity is now well documented and people in this country should know that. Yet we see no public health advertisements or campaigns in relation to methamphetamines. We certainly saw a tremendous number of public health campaigns in relation to passive smoking. Huge amounts of taxpayer dollars were spent to tell people by way of television—that being considered the most effective way to get the message through—about the possible results of passive smoking. Nowhere do we see anything on our television screens about the effects of methamphetamines or other illegal drugs such as marijuana—the effects on foetuses and the long-term effects on users. If we are ever to take illegal drug use seriously in this country we need to start to get the message out there. We need to stop pussyfooting around and fearing that we may offend someone if we tell the truth. 
It is about time that we in this House faced up to the fact that there is a tremendous amount of illegal and illicit drug use in this country. Drugs are illegal and illicit for very good reason: they do incredible harm and do no good. We need to accept that. I am pleased the Minister takes this issue seriously and I am very pleased that in Parliament we will be able to get—I expect—almost unanimous support on this issue. I say “almost” because not everyone will agree that illicit and illegal drugs have no benefits for and are simply an ill on the people who use them. 
In this country there are people who have difficulty in getting together enough money to pay their rent and to pay for their weekly food. Yet we as members of Parliament all know of instances where people would rather spend their money on drugs than on rent and food. In this country there is an attitude that nobody particularly cares whether people spend that money on drugs because it is their money. Well I say that when people are taking the food out of the mouths of their babies in order to feed their drug habits it is about time that we took drugs seriously. I do not subscribe to the 1970s view that drugs are all pretty good and are fine for us. I did not do so in the 1970s and I certainly will not now in the 2000s. 
Simon Power 
: How old was the member in the 1970s? 
JUDITH COLLINS 
: I tell the member that in the 1970s I was a teenager which just goes to show that non - drug use does help to keep one young. 
I have mentioned earlier the abuse of alcohol in this country. I take that issue very seriously. I take it seriously in terms of children of the health effects it has on this country and also of the police resources that are used so much to deal with it. Two bad drugs do not make one good drug; I think we need to make that very plain. We know we could never outlaw alcohol in this country. It is utterly a part of our culture and has been for thousands of years. We know what happened in this country when alcohol was outlawed: that led to gangs. In this country there is no need for us ever to go down the track of bringing in more drugs that we will have more trouble in trying to control.