Meth addiction is an illness, not a crime, writes Rob Rattenbury. Photo / NZME
OPINION
Former policeman Rob Rattenbury weighs in on the controversy over Government funding for the Kahukura treatment programme for meth addicts.
Many of us have family members or friends who have been or are suffering from addiction to methamphetamine, "meth" or "P" or whatever.
It is truly a destructive addiction ruining lives, families, businesses and future prospects for addicts.
Addicts come from right across the social spectrum from the criminal underworld to the corporate boardroom. Meth does not respect status or wealth; in fact it loves wealth and removing it from previously successful people.
Kilograms of the stuff are used in my town every month, probably by some people I may even know.
In terms of addiction this is not a good one to have, it is hard to beat and it ruins the user both mentally and physically in a relatively short time.
How do all these people access their choice of poison? Gangs are known to be a key supplier and seller of drugs.
In my opinion, many of New Zealand's gangs are criminal organisations. Individual gang members can be highly skilled, intelligent, attractive and personable individuals with tremendous business acumen and leadership skills. People who would succeed in anything they chose to do. However, they choose to be gang members and collectively have decided to trade in misery.
I spent the first half of my working life dealing with and on occasions working with gangs.
I formed decent relationships with individual gang members who I liked personally.
I never liked what they did or what they represented though. Some I could trust their word, most I would not.
Meth is ruining many marginal communities in New Zealand.
Communities that do not have easy access to healthcare, public services and employment.
Communities that live from day-to-day in poverty and deprivation; making a dollar here and there and however. Communities riddled with crime and violence. With a bleak future.
I trained and worked in and always believed in the "Whatever it Takes" model when dealing with serious disability and illness.
Meth addiction is an illness, it is not a crime to be an addict and it should not be a crime to have to obtain one's poison of choice just to continue to exist.
Hence the methadone programme and the needle exchange programme, both hugely controversial ideas at their inception but now successful everyday parts of our community's efforts in caring for many sick people.
When you think about all that and then consider the Ministry of Health's recent decision to provide $2.75 million of funding over four years to Hard2Reach, a private agency that specialises in working with the marginalised communities discussed above, which does have a track record of some success and which, in 2020, ran a successful marae-based pilot programme in Central Hawke's Bay to help wean gang members and associates off meth I would suggest there is a common sense to this idea.
The initial optics for the Labour Government were not outstanding due to this decision but the devil is in the detail, not in the dog-whistling from National. There is an information war in progress with National desperately trying to get cut-through following on from the He Puapua debate.
The "Whatever it Takes" model encourages treatment providers to think laterally and innovatively. What is successful for one person is often not an answer for anybody else. Different strokes.
The funding was approved across a range of ministries and signed off by Jacinda Ardern. The police was one agency involved in the approval process. Many eyes and differing agendas were involved but yet the money was approved.
Labour will survive this of course. Sometimes governments have to be brave and controversial. Let us see what results fall out of the programme. Not much else is working at present in these communities.
The money is coming from the Proceeds of Crime fund, not the taxpayer, but it is going to a private agency, not back to a criminal gang.
New Zealand being the small community we are there will be overlaps between the Mongrel Mob chapter involved and the treatment providers, there has to be.
They are operating in a very small rural community, everyone is related or knows everyone. A simple fact of life in little Aotearoa-New Zealand.