A Mercury investigation has uncovered a classified advertisement website where people refer to ice as “sweet puff”.

There were more than 100 listings for puff in the Hunter Region on the website in a two month period, most too explicit to print.

Website users from the Hunter Valley stated they had “sweet puff” and “wikid shards” for sale.

The posts from website users in Maitland were more salacious, with many looking for a “puff and play” which refers to a sexual encounter swapped for ice.

“It is illegal to possess and use drugs however you pay for them,” Central Hunter crime manager Detective Inspector John Zdrilic said.

“I have heard there are websites like this that exist, but I have not received any reports of them.

“We have a cyber crime unit which looks at those things and is constantly looking and reviewing sites engaging in criminal activity.”

Inspector Zdrilic said the primary concern with such websites was the possession and supply of illicit drugs.

“The other side of it would be more significant if it involved a child,” he said.

“But what people do with their own bodies, is their business.”

The findings point to a bigger issue – an ice epidemic.

Based on the website’s posts, ice use crosses demographics and genders.

People aged in their 20s to their late 40s swapped ice for sexual favours and both men and women appeared in the forum.

It is believed the term “sweet puff” is used to refer to ice because it is the colloquial name for the small glass water pipe used to smoke the drug.

There were 110 listings for puff in the Hunter Region in March and April this year.

Inspector Zdrilic said there were two main reasons drug use went hand-in-hand with crime, which caused a social strain on the community.

“Criminal acts can be a result or effect of the drug use,” he said.

“Also, they [addicts] have to service the habit, which means generating the funds, often through criminal activity.”

The ice epidemic is not unique to Maitland.

It has become such a big problem in Australian communities that a national taskforce was ­created to put together a strategy to combat the scourge of crystal methamphetamine.

Inspector Zdrilic said he had not seen a drug so rapidly ravish Australian communities since the heroin epidemic in the 1990s.

“There were two reasons behind the heroin epidemic,” he said.

“The availability of the drug, which was a supply and demand scenario, and the major impact it had on the individial because of the strength of the drug.

“Again we are seeing these addictive effects with ice.”

He said, as with the heroin epidemic, beating ice will come down to a multi-tiered approach between the community, police, health and social welfare services.

Anyone with information about cyber crime or illicit drugs should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Ice users experience a feeling of exhilaration and increased arousal and activity levels.

When ice is used, the receptors in the brain are flooded with monoamines, this includes dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline and serotonin.

As more ice is taken, these receptors can be destroyed, which means prolonged ice use can lead the user to no longer feeling pleasure without taking the drug.

Short-term health concerns include increased heart rate, high blood pressure and irregular body temperature.

Long-term effects of ice use include damaged teeth, skin lesions, stroke, decreased lung function, depression and psychosis.

* Source: Department of Health and Ageing 

The Mercury's previous poll showed people are very concerned about this highly addictive drug and the effect it is having on our society.

The question:  Does the impact of ice on our community frighten you?

Results: 

Yes – 94.39 per cent

No – 5.61 per cent

Total number of votes – 1728