Having returned from Sydney to live in my hometown of Perth back in mid 2010, I've noticed some big changes, many of which I've been posting about on this blog. One of the most alarming has been the sheer scope of the meth problem in this city.

Of course you don't tend to see evidence of it directly most of the time -- although that does happen occasionally. You get a sense of it mainly from news reports of exploding labs, burglaries, drug busts and crazed acts of violence. With so much evidence of mayhem plaguing this city, the West Australian is running a special series on it called "Meth City"

It's fascinating, compelling reading. This ongoing scourge is so deep and pervasive it's reminiscent of what happened in Miami as a result of the cocaine trade of the 1980s. The whole city was awash in the drug, the sheer amount of money being pumped into the local economy was insane, and people were being slaughtered by Colombian hitmen and women pretty much daily.

What's happening here and now is not quite as extreme as that. But it's still pretty full on. And I suspect there are more than enough true tales of debauchery, crime and corruption to fill a documentary along the lines of the excellent Cocaine Cowboys, summarized below. If some enterprising Aussie producers aren't already on the case they should get to it quick smart!