Killers' drug of choice

By PATRICK GOWER police reporter

Speed was once a sniffable party powder drug known as "poor man's cocaine".

Now methamphetamine is most popular in its crystallised, "pure" form, its users ranging from the very poor to millionaires.

Known as "pure", "P" or "burn", it now rivals marijuana for popularity in some places.

Its users like the clear, long high the crystals deliver when burned.

Police and drug experts call it a scourge, a drug epidemic behind a surge in meaningless violence. Police statistics released this week show crimes linked to the drug jumped 28 per cent last year.

"Pure" is now being described as the methamphetamine version of crack cocaine.

Its popularity can be seen in the annual number of crude production "labs" that are busted - nearly 150 last year compared with just nine in 2000.

It was the drug of choice of RSA triple killer William Bell, and Ese Falealii, the gunman convicted of killing a pizza worker and bank teller during a spree of armed robberies last year was also a user.

Various other crime sprees and suicides have been attributed to the drug.

"Pure" is easily available and costs about $1000 a gram. It looks like rock salts.

Users buy it in bags by the "point" - roughly a tenth of a gram - for around $100 to $150.

The drug is smoked by heating the crystals and inhaling the vapour. Once the crystals cool again, users can reheat it to get further "hits". A point can be used anywhere from three to 20 times.

The most popular way to smoke it is with a glass pipe and gas fire-lighter, although it could just be heated up on a broken piece of lightbulb if necessary.

There is an initial rush, but users say its effects do not wear off for up to 10 hours.