Ice addiction in Canberra is increasing and the scourge has reached surrounding towns, causing ripple effects through often-sheltered tight-knit communities.
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In the ACT, treatment for ice, otherwise known as methamphetamine, as a drug of concern increased by more than six per cent from statistics recorded in 2012-13 to those in 2013-14, according to ACT Health.
The ACT government recently invested $60,000 into training for 60 frontline workers who deal with methamphetamine users on a daily basis.
Across the border in Queanbeyan, one in three drivers at roadside drug testing stations tested positive for methamphetamine or cannabis, according to local Senior Constable Richard Pearce.
Senior Constable Pearce recently held a forum in Braidwood to educate residents of the small town about the spread of ice.
As a resident of the town and its former policeman, he had seen firsthand the devastating effects of the drug on a young girl in the community.
"I have a personal involvement with someone who was on ice," he said.
"A young person who was bubbly, intelligent and having a great time, and she's suddenly gone to a shell of what she used to be with all the symptoms that come from [using the drug] – paranoia, a lot of mental health issues, sleep deprivation, malnutrition because they don't eat.
"They become gaunt, their teeth start to rot, they have scabs and scars where they've picked their skin because they have a sensation of bugs crawling under their skin so they're picking them trying to get them away."
Senior constable Pearce said he saw the change over a short period of just eight months.
"They think they can get off it, but they can't," he warned.
As someone who deals with ice addicts every day, he said he couldn't comprehend why someone would start taking the drug.
"They're looking for a constant buzz, a constant euphoria feeling but they forget that with the feelings of euphoria you've got to come down off that, and that is where the trouble starts."
The Braidwood forum was designed not to shock but to inform and educate the residents of the 1400-strong town.
"There is a problem [with ice] in Braidwood, albeit a small problem now," he said.
"We wanted to get in early and give the community some education and hopefully they can use that to stop or lessen the impact of ice in our community here."
"Braidwood is slightly different [to Queanbeyan] in that it is a close community and the people there just didn't know what was going on. They didn't know about the effects of methamphetamine. They don't know how it's purchased, they don't know what happens when people get hooked."
Palerang mayor Pete Harrison said he found the forum informative.
"People are aware of it, but my sense from the questions asked is that people just don't know much about it.
"Potentially [ice] is a particular problem in rural areas where people are relaxed, or naive and not understanding how [addiction] happens," Cr Harrison said.
The Braidwood forum followed a similar style conversation held in Goulburn.
Queanbeyan Police Detective Sergeant Mick Handley said it was important to educate the community on how to identify signs of ice addiction, and where to ask for help.
"It's not just a capital city thing, it's not a major centre thing," Detective Sergeant Handley said.
"The drug is of major concern not only to large cities but to small regional areas such as Braidwood and similar, as well as the country as a whole.
"It really is horrific."
