L ike many Pacific states that rely on tourism, Fiji had a hard time during the main pandemic years. But as tourism recovers , another crisis threatens the island nation’s stability – one fuelled by rising methamphetamine addiction. Driven by foreign drug cartels using Fiji as a staging post for operations in New Zealand and Australia, the drug has also spread into local communities.
In turn, it has fuelled a surge in HIV infections and put extra burdens on stretched health and justice sectors. Known locally as “ice”, methamphetamine (meth) is highly addictive, widely available and increasingly linked to risky behaviour. Needle sharing, “chemsex” (using drugs to heighten sexual experiences) and a practice known as “bluetoothing” – withdrawing blood after a drug hit and injecting it into a second person – have all been implicated in declining health indicators.
With children as young as nine being treated for addiction, and with crime statistics and reported HIV and AIDS cases climbing dramatically , police have called for a state of emergency to tackle the interrelated problems. But the police themselves have been accused of corruption in relation to meth dealing. HIV cases are expected to double this year , with young people and marginalised communities disproportionately affected.
The intersection of meth use and HIV is particularly troubling. Methamphetamine weakens the immune system, making users more susceptible to infections. Compounding the problem,.