Earlier this week Bendigo police said they were noticing a worrying upward trend in incidents involving methamphetamine, commonly known as ice.

Carl Saes manages the Salvation Army’s statewide Bridge program – a six-week intensive rehab for adults aged 18 to 30 – in Bendigo, and he said the ice problem was statewide.

“I have seen an increase in Melbourne and I can see it coming into country towns,” he said.

“You see the change from ecstasy use to ice because it’s cheap and nasty and keeps you going for a few days.”

Bendigo Community Health Service’s general manager of primary health and integrated care Cheryl Sobczyk said she had seen an increase in ice use in Bendigo during the past 18 months.

“In this current environment most of the crystal meth is coming out of Melbourne and the dealers are very resourceful and a little bit intimidating in the way they market and sell their drug,” she said.

“They make their money by regular and ongoing sales. They will text the people telling them they are coming to Bendigo.

“The dealers are clever in the way they ensure people don’t just use once; they are offered the drug on a number of occasions. And part of the way people become addicted is they are given credit.

“It’s how they sell you the drug, too – they put it up as a better drug, more so than ecstasy or speed. They might say it has a quicker effect, a more sustained effect, you get more of a bang for your buck.”

But it’s this “bang” that is the problem.

Ms Sobczyk said the issue with ice was that it was a lot more potent than regular amphetamine.

“Even though the effects still vary from person to person, it certainly does deserve its name as a more problematic drug,” she said.

“The issue with manufactured drugs is you don’t know what you’re getting in these clandestine labs. You don’t know about the purity and what it’s being mixed with.”

Youth Support and Advocacy Services manager Kerry Donaldson said her service had seen a slight rise in the number of young people under 21 who had got into trouble with ice.

“These are young people who are often employed and don’t have some of the socioeconomic problems and trauma you see in other drug users,” she said.

“They can access it and they can afford it and it’s probably seen as a very cool thing to do because you don’t inject or snort it.

“It’s an addictive drug it gives them confidence and a sense of well-being.

“Then all of a sudden they find they can’t do without it and they start getting agitated, picking fights with family and friends and having problems at work.”

If you or someone you care about has an alcohol or drug problem, call DirectLine on 1800 888 236. The helpline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and makes referrals to local service providers.