Without knowing how the online media outlet came to make its assumption, it is clear on the known facts – it is wrong.

While it is undeniable and sadly true the drug is a major problem in Katherine, on the evidence, it is no better but no worse than other regional centres like it around Australia.

There is absolutely no support for the “meth hotspot” tag.

A hotspot for the nasty PFAS chemical perhaps, a hotspot for grey nomads definitely and wonderfully a hotspot for natural wonders – but not ice.

Katherine perhaps could be called a hotspot for the transportation of drugs into the Northern Territory, purely because of where it is located on the map.

Famously the town is located on the crossroads of the Victoria and Stuart highways and police do a great trade stopping people travelling from Queensland and South Australia with carloads of cannabis and, yes, ice.

The only evidence given by the outlet for its claim was that a youth worker appeared before court last year for having used ice.

True, this writer went to court and heard the case being argued.

The youth worker stupidly used the drug at a party and was caught driving around with it still in his system hours later.

He soon lost his job.

So what are the real facts?

Science savvy criminal workers test our excreted wastes to find out what we are up to.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission released the third report of the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program in December.

Only Darwin and an unnamed regional centre were listed, but not named.

The Northern Territory reported some of the highest nicotine, alcohol and methamphetamine (ice) consumption levels nationally.

But the sewerage pond tests found “average MDA consumption in the Northern Territory capital city site exceeded the regional site in August 2017”.

So even if that regional site was us, it was lower than Darwin.

When comparing data from August 2016 and August 2017, average methylamphetamine consumption in the Northern Territory decreased in both capital city and regional sites, the study found.

The Federal Government three years ago established a National Ice Taskforce to provide advice to the government on the impacts of ice.

“Most methamphetamine available in jurisdictions such as Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory is transported to these jurisdictions in large quantities, then cut with bulking agents and/or distributed by local criminal groups,” the final report said.

It did not mention Katherine as a hotspot.

“In general, people in remote areas are more likely to have higher rates of risky health behaviours. The Taskforce heard that higher rates of ice use in some regional areas are associated with generally lower incomes, lower levels of education, fewer employment prospects and high unemployment.”

It went on: “In the Northern Territory, alcohol was the most common principal drug of concern in episodes provided to clients for their own drug use in 2013-14 (61 per cent of episodes). Cannabis was also relatively common as a principal drug, accounting for one in seven episodes (15 per cent), followed by volatile solvents (11 per cent of episodes), which was much higher than the national rate.”

It is worth noting, the Federal Government does provide funding in Katherine for sniffer dogs, who rake in millions of illegal drugs in traffic stops, and the Substance Abuse Intelligence Desks.

“These work to improve the collection of intelligence to interrupt the supply of drugs to remote communities.”

Their work is more about trafficking, the illicit drugs flowing through the crossroads, than a domestic drug hotspot.

Ice is a problem in Katherine, no doubt about that, but it does not deserve the hotspot tag.

For free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drugs, call the National Alcohol and Other Drugs Hotline on 1800 250 015.