THE staggering number of drug offences in the Darling Downs police district should come as no surprise.

It is however interesting to note what both Senior Sergeant Damian Grace and the Queensland Police have said in regards to the problem being no bigger in regional communities than it is in major centres.

While the scale of drug offences in regional towns may not be any larger than that in major cities, it's regional towns' capacity to deal with the problem which becomes an issue.

Workers like John Mahoney at CDS, who has said the growing trend of drug use in Stanthorpe is of serious concern, will no longer be around to intervene with families before drug use becomes a serious issue.

Our already stretched public health system is reaching breaking point, with the government pumping money into advertising campaigns to try and relieve the pressure on our struggling hospitals.

Unfortunately, I've witnessed friends take the unfortunate path that ice leads a person down.

I've seen how hard it is for people to pull themselves out of the cold shadow drugs cast over their and their families' lives.

While we can spend money on advertising campaigns, fund rehabilitation campaigns and try to compensate the bursting health system, it really boils down to families being open and honest about drug use.

For help, call Lifeline on 131 114.