Party drug hits workplace

The party drug ice is infiltrating workplaces at a disturbing rate and creating potentially deadly situations, researchers have warned.

Academics from the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction at Flinders University say almost one in 10 hospitality workers, and more than 5 per cent of construction and transport industry workers, are users of the drug.

The three sectors are among the state's biggest employers.

The findings also show ice use by South Australian workers is higher than the national average, prompting warnings about workplace fatalities, injuries and absenteeism.

In research to be published this week, the academics say:

Methamphetimine users are "polydrug" users, using an average of almost five different drugs including tobacco and alcohol.

Overall about 5 per cent of men reported using ice, compared with 3 per cent of women.

Five per cent of SA workers use ice, compared with 4 per cent nationally.

Ice users were more likely to drink heavily, to be verbally or physically abusive in the workplace and to have high levels of absenteeism.

The article, "Methamphetamine use among Australian workers and its implications for prevention", will be published in Drug and Alcohol Review.

Co-author and centre deputy director Dr Ken Pidd said a range of factors influenced the rate of workers' methamphetamine use.

"In some industries it's more prevalent because there is a perception that it helps people do their work - for example, in the transport industry," he said.

"(For truck drivers) the reason was simply so they could stay awake and drive more hours and earn more money.

"If you look at the construction industry or even mining it's more to do with the demographic profile and the type of worker they have - male and single with a party lifestyle."

Dr Pidd said availability was also a factor. "It's a good drug for people who want to be in the party lifestyle and drink all night," he said.

"The hospitality industry is a good example of that - the work is party-type work so there are high levels of availability."

The research comes as the Australian Medical Association calls for an overhaul of how the health system deals with methamphetamine users, who it says are clogging up the nation's emergency departments.

AMA national president Dr Rosanna Capolingua warned that more than three in four dependant users suffer mental health problems such as aggression, depression and anxiety, and that three in 10 experience psychotic episodes with paranoia and hallucinations.

The most recent national statistics, released this week, show that ice use in the community has decreased from 3.2 per cent to 2.3 per cent.

Drug and Alcohol Services SA clinical services director Associate Professor Robert Ali said state breakdowns of those statistics, to be released later this year from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, would give a clearer picture of methamphetamine use in SA.

"We've had fluctuating levels of use and the most recent data . . .unfortunately hasn't got state breakdowns in it," he said. "But the national data shows a significant increase in people who recognise methamphetamine as a serious drug."

Associate Professor Ali said DASSA targeted particular industries, including hospitality, for awareness campaigns about the dangers of ice.

The researchers identified a range of strategies to tackle drug use including developing appropriate alcohol and drug policies, workplace education programs, and direct access to counselling and treatment services.

Workplace drug testing had "limited" use because of the short detection period for ice, they said.

SafeWork SA welcomed the research and urged employers to put policies and procedures in place to control the risks.

Source: TORY SHEPHERD, HEALTH REPORTER, The Advertiser

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