Today's page 1 story about a new business that tests homes for a presence of methamphetamine came about after an out-of-the-blue phone call.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The subject of the story, Bill Morris (pictured), had called journalist Sage Swinton to get a link to one of her articles from a few years ago about a drug bust in Cessnock.
He explained that he was setting up a website for his new business and wanted to link in the story as evidence of the rising use of ice and how it can be made and kept inside homes.
Mr Morris told her how he got stung when methamphetamine was found in his investment property which led him to set up the business.
When Sage got off the phone and repeated the conversation to the newsroom, it certainly got us talking.
No one had heard of such a thing as home meth testing, but everyone thought it made sense.
Take last week's inquiry into the use of ice at East Maitland Courthouse for example. The three day inquiry heard from stakeholder after stakeholder saying use of the drug was not only a problem - but that it was clearly escalating.
Within the first half hour we learned that the incidence and use of ice in Maitland and Cessnock is currently double the state average.
Perhaps one of the scariest factors about the drug is that, unlike other illicit substances, it's not imported so it's relatively cheap and easily accessible compared to many other drugs. It can be manufactured inside even the most unassuming of homes.
While most of us in the newsroom were aware of that, what shocked us about what Mr Morris said was the havoc that methamphetamine smoke alone could wreak on a home.
It doesn't smell and can't be easily seen, but can stick to surfaces and cause terrible health effects to anyone who breathes that air in for extended periods afterwards.
There are already enough headaches involved with buying a home - there are the high prices and property comparisons to consider, the pest and building inspection, dealing with real estates and obtaining finance ...
But as of now, there is another thing for buyers and sellers to think about.
And while the testing comes with a cost, it's certainly worth thinking about as it could end up costing a lot more down the line.
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
