Report reveals devastating affect of "ice" on Australian communities

The devastating drug, methylamphetamine, or "ice", now posed the greatest risk to the Australian community of all illicit drugs, a new report from the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) has revealed.

Minister for Justice Michael Keenan released the report on Wednesday, in conjunction with the ACC, which warned that "our nation's addiction to this mind-eating, personality-distorting, life-ending drug" is undermining the social fabric of communities.

Keenan said the study was an attempt to "provide a concise understanding of the nature of organised crime involvement in the Australian methylamphetamine market".

The report said that more than 60 percent of organized crime syndicates were involved in the ice market, which has had the greatest impact in country towns and lower socio-economic communities.

The report was released just a day after it was revealed that country and suburban Australian football players were using the drug to gain "superman" powers before stepping onto the field.

It identified several changes in the nature and scale of the methylamphetamine market since 2010, including increased purity, ice now being the dominant form of the drug, and an increase in the importation of the drug and "precursor chemicals" used to manufacture it.

"The methylamphetamine market will almost certainly remain entrenched and continue to grow in the medium term," the report said.

Keenan said that the problem was devastating for families and friends of those addicted, and that the report would attempt to provide solutions to deal with the problem in Australia.

"We're hearing everyday a new story of how ice is ruining lives, destroying families, and hurting communities," he said in a statement.

"Given the gravity of the problem, the Australian Crime Commission has developed the first unclassified intelligence picture of the threat posed by ice to our nation."

The report said the use of purer, more addictive crystal methylamphetamine - rather than the powder or tablet form - had more than doubled in the space of three years, increasing from 22 percent in 2010 to 50 percent in 2013.

According to the report, the trend towards crystal meth was likely to continue as Australian illicit drug users paid highly inflated prices to obtain the drug.

The higher potential profit margin means that manufacturers and dealers of the drug find Australia an "attractive marketplace".

Keenan said by letting the public know the dangers associated with the addictive substance, the authorities and the government could work in tandem to stop the trend.

"The purpose of this report is to help shape Australia's understanding of the methylamphetamine market and the challenges posed, so we can focus our collective efforts to combat this national harm," he said. Endite