The Pacific is facing a rapidly escalating methamphetamine crisis with growing implications for public health, community safety and regional security.

A new policy paper published by the Pacific Security College in collaboration with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) calls for a Pacific Islands Forum-led regional summit in 2027 to help coordinate responses to the crisis.

Co-authored by GI-TOC’s Head of Pacific Programme Virginia Comolli and Pacific Security College Fellow Dr Nicholas Thomson, Turning the tide together highlights how the Pacific has evolved from primarily a transit corridor into an increasingly significant consumer market for methamphetamine, with devastating impacts on communities, health systems and governance structures.

The paper proposes a 2027 regional summit bringing together ministers, law enforcement agencies, health authorities, civil society organisations, churches, community representatives and traditional leaders to elevate the issue to the highest political level and strengthen regional coordination.

Importantly, the summit is envisioned not as a standalone event, but as the culmination of a broader regional process to build the evidence base, strengthen partnerships and support national dialogue across the Pacific. The ultimate objective would be the development of a Pacific-led Regional Synthetic Drugs Strategy to guide coordinated action on prevention, treatment, harm reduction, law enforcement cooperation and community resilience.