Police Commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho today made a call to the delegates of the Methodist Church of Fiji Conference to join the fight against methamphetamine and marijuana in the country as this is now a serious concern.
While speaking at Centenary Church in the last hour, Qiliho said that in March this year, the Fiji Police Force had conducted an operation where they had confiscated $15 million worth of marijuana in the country.
Qiliho says in June this year, they had conducted other operations and more marijuana was found.
Qiliho says methamphetamine is another problem facing the country.
The Police Commissioner says last month he felt sorry for a family when a mother called him up and shared with him that her 17-year-old daughter was addicted to methamphetamine.
Qiliho says she was then taken to the hospital for treatment.
He says Fiji has reached that place now and this will have a huge effect on us as we are a small nation.
Qiliho says there must be moral teachings from home to ensure that we all fight this.
The Police Commissioner says this is also a spiritual battle and the church has a role to play in it.
Methamphetamine has become a real concern as more raids and discoveries continue to take place in Fiji.
More than $7 million worth of methamphetamine was intercepted by the Fiji Police Force last year and this is really concerning Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho as it is now clear that more people are getting trapped in this highly addictive, brain eating and life‑ending drug.
Serious concerns are also being raised that methamphetamine is now readily available and Police are calling on people to contact them if they have any information to fight this deadly drug.
Methamphetamine is extremely addictive and many people are uninformed of the dangers and addictive potential of the drug and are more likely to try it despite the severe consequences of developing an addiction.
Addiction and its use is particularly dangerous as it is associated with drug‑induced psychosis, violence, and erratic behaviour. Meth does not allow people to sleep, so users are often awake for several days at a time and lose touch with reality.
Experts say many people initially use methamphetamine when under the influence of alcohol when their natural fear of the drug is inhibited ‑ but just one time can be enough to start the roller coaster ride of addiction.
