According to a study published by the University of New South Wales, the number of people killed by methamphetamine in Australia doubled in 2015 from 2009, with nearly half of those killed due to drug-induced illness or accident, the people's Daily reported.
According to the report, the number of people killed by methamphetamine in Australia in 2015 was 280. Between 2009 and 2015, the number of deaths from drug use in Australia reached 1649, 78.4 percent of whom were men. 43.2% of the deaths were due to meth overdose. The report's author, Professor Shandak of the University of New South Wales, said the study showed that the public was often concerned about violence by drug users, but did not know that heart disease was one of the major causes of death from meth. Because meth increases blood pressure, increases heart load, and damages the heart and cardiovascular system.
In recent years, drug abuse has gradually become a major social cancer in Australia, and it has become a serious social problem that endangers public security and public safety. Australian police even call it "national shame". The latest figures show that 42% of Australians have used drugs, a staggering figure that suggests that Australian drug use is becoming more and more common.
Among the many types of drugs, meth is the most commonly used drug in Australia. Australian multicultural radio reported a few days ago that according to the national drug monitoring project report, Australians have become the second largest group of people in the world who use meth, and about two hundred and seventy thousand people throughout Australia regularly use meth. About half of them are addicted to drugs. Drug abuse is particularly acute in Western Australia and South Australia in rural areas.
Australia's Justice Minister Michael Keenan said meth is a "demon" drug, but Australians are willing to pay high fees for it. According to local media, due to the extremely high prices of all kinds of drugs, such as meth, in Australia's black market, the profits of drug traffickers are even 50 times higher when they are highest than in other countries or regions. As a result, more and more international criminal gangs are extending their tentacles to Australia.
Australian Prime Minister Turnbull launched a $300 million ($1 Australian dollar) national strategy last year to tackle the country's growing meth problem. In fact, Australia has a very strong fight against drugs, manufacturing, drug trafficking, aiding and abetting others to take drugs and so on will be punished by the law, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment. In addition, Australia has a community-based platform to fully mobilize and integrate social resources to promote the socialization of anti-drug efforts and to provide services and assistance in the areas of treatment, care, education, prevention and community integration for drug users, Obvious results have been achieved.
Since most of the drugs come from abroad, Australia has also stepped up cooperation with the national police. The Australian government has also invested A $88 million to step up inspections of international mail, air and sea cargo. Australian police this year cracked the country's largest ever drug smuggling, seizing 903 kilograms of meth. Keenan revealed that thanks to successful international cooperation, Australian police have intercepted more than 10 tons of illicit drugs and raw materials in the past 18 months.
At present, drug abuse has become a persistent disease in Australian society, even in the middle school campus has appeared in the shadow of drugs. Therefore, the elimination of drug hazards for the Australian government and society is a protracted war.