And now we’ve heard from an ice addict, whose story about how hard it is to kick the habit when the streets are awash with the drug should alert every parent, every school student and every teacher and principal to the challenge that confronts our community.

The nervous young man with whom we speak told us that three years ago he began using ice which was supplied to him by fellow students, who got the drug from local dealers. He named the school but we decided not to because his experience was some years ago and we did not want to stigmatise current students.

Nonetheless, his recollections are extremely disturbing, highlighting the need for all schools to step up their vigilance when it comes to drugs. The young man’s revelations come just a week after Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research reported Shoalhaven as the state’s top offender when it came to reported drug incidents at schools. The report said cannabis was mostly involved.

His account of how hard it was to kick the habit, how coming off the drug made him prone to violent outbursts, and how he had wandered into traffic to try to end his life shines a light on the horror this drug serves up. The lure of the rush gives way quickly to an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and despair.

Any parent reading his story will probably be hoping against hope that their own children are not tempted into the same black hole.

Nature abhors a vacuum so while brilliant work by the police has removed three dozen alleged dealers off the streets, the demand caused by raging addiction will quickly see them replaced. 

That’s why it is important to keep the momentum and provide that vital intelligence to police so that the dealers who step in to fill the void are quickly taken out of circulation.