For many years, Fiji has enjoyed a wonderful reputation as a beautiful location for its turquoise water, postcard-perfect islands, and its warm & friendly people (labelled as the ‘Bula’ spirit). However, there is a very serious problem just below the surface, and, according to experts that have studied Fiji’s situation, it is presenting a serious risk to social and public health.
As the newly released ‘Regional Security Report’ indicates, Fiji is one of the worst affected Pacific Island nations in relation to the rapidly escalating methamphetamine crisis, a major emergency that has gone well beyond the problem of criminal activities and the trafficking of drugs. Methamphetamine (known locally as ‘ice’) is no longer simply passing through the Pacific Islands but is now becoming entrenched in the most vulnerable of the island communities.
The situation is extremely concerning, as the spillover from methamphetamine use is being seen throughout Fiji, where the courts are overwhelmed; the prison system is under increased pressure; and the hospitals and rehabilitation services are no longer able to cope, while the social workers report a dramatic increase in family breakdowns, increasing rates of youth being vulnerable to harm, and a continuing increase in the trauma that communities are experiencing.
A recent warning was issued related to Fiji’s fight against the country’s HIV/AIDS epidemic but also, at the same time, indicates what is regarded by Fiji health officials as an accelerating crisis related to HIV in that nation due to unsafe sharing of needles by methamphetamine users. Health authorities with international agencies have indicated that they are very concerned about this trend, particularly for youth in Fiji.
Experts have noted that the Pacific Islands are going through a dangerous transition from serving as an area of trafficking between Asia and the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand into becoming a growing market for the consumption of synthetic drugs. Some areas may be witnessing the emergence of localised production networks.
A recent seizure of 4.2 tonnes of methamphetamine by the Fiji Police in early 2024 was recorded, and law enforcement in the region was shocked by the quantity of meth seized and what it shows about the scale of the industry in the region.
Policymakers have called for a never-seen-before response to the current crisis: they want to hold a Pacific-wide summit in 2027—with both governments and police, healthcare and civil society, and traditional leaders—where they will lead collectively to respond to the regional crisis.
This urgency comes from a very real fact: small island nations cannot fight transnational organised crime alone.
The question now for the Pacific is whether or not the methamphetamine crisis is real.
The question now for the Pacific is if they can act quickly enough to put an end to the methamphetamine crisis.
