Now that there is a commission on drugs, I consider it pertinent to mention a number of selected cases that have been registered in Victoria and surrounding places in Australia. Furthermore, I have gone through the comprehensive interview that Samioullah Lauthan, former Minister of Social Security, has given to one daily newspaper in Mauritius on his role and tremendous interventions in the domain of drug addiction.

With his substantial experience and concern, I am optimistic that the former Minister of Social Security will make a desirable contribution in his attempt to eradicate or at least to mellow down the drug scourge in Mauritius. I hope the tentative case studies I am randomly selecting or made mention of can be contributive to the good work that the commission pertain to perform in the prevention of the very worrying propagation of illicit drugs in our island.

The commonly used name of today’s synthetic in Victoria is Ice, a derivative of methylamphetamine sometimes called Black Death. But by whatever name this frightening drug is known, one thing is certain: we do not know for sure what the components of the drug are. We, in this other part of the world, only find that Ice happens to be at present the only drug that is repeatedly mentioned by those worried about the disastrous effect it entails on society at large.

The side effects of Ice are dangerous. In fact, consumers become completely out of control as a result of their very brain being so affected that they often become extremely aggressive against any person they are interacting with (the police force, a member of the public, or even the consulting doctors). Aggressive behaviour is the principal factor that the consumers are filled with. This element augurs very bad for the members of both the families and the public, for their personal security. One can foresee the extreme probability that this drug will reach the shores of Mauritius, if it has not already. If it has, the intensity of its presence will inevitably be felt at no time. It is simply a question of “when” rather than “if”.

In Victoria, there is a surge in crime, as the consumption of Ice increases, especially among the young. The devastating effects of this drug on the behaviour of the individual under the influence of it are, at the moment, the greatest concern.

A person under the influence of Ice is believed to be completely out of control in behaviour or even attitude and personality. Suspects under the influence of this drug, or worse still, if they are taking a cocktail of Ice (for that matter any other drug) and alcohol, they can experience acute psychosis and paranoia on top of their aggression.

There are known cases of four or more deaths and aggravated burglaries. One magistrate in Australia said to two ice-taking teenagers last year: “Not long after you start taking methylamphetamine (or Ice), you will be addicted. Soon after that, you will be dead.” It is believed that in the past two years, two people had been killed by persons under the influence of ice. In Mauritius, on the 20th of July, it has been reportedly believed that the heart of a youngster in his twenties has stopped, pulmonary block while having taken some unknown drug.

A few additional incidents recently in Victoria are: methyl amphetamine or Ice users are roughly aged later teen. There are cases of those being brought to hospital as being agitated and displaying very violent behaviour. These appear to be affected by impaired decision- making. Hence, they may be a threat to the community and themselves. The fact that deadly synthetic drugs is becoming more easily available, more and more of the addicted people are becoming apparent.

It is believed that the drug affected is devoid of all inhibition, so that their violent behaviour can be unpredictable, so that even the safety of the staff at the hospital is at high risk. It is near impossible to restrain the aggressive behaviour of those under the influence. This reminds us of a statement of one doctor in Mauritius that we cannot decide upon the medication that can control the patients’ behaviour unless we can pinpoint the nature of the substance the influence of which they are under. But we often cannot.