Pubdate: Tue, 28 Jun 2005
Source: Abbotsford News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 Hacker Press Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.abbynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1155
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

THE DANGERS OF METH

It is hard not to overestimate the danger posed by methamphetamine. 
The drug, which was the focus of a conference in Chilliwack recently, 
packs an attractive combination for young people. It's cheap and the 
euphoric effects last a long time.

It also carries a danger that people in this country are just 
starting to figure out. Crystal meth, as it's more commonly referred 
to, has already ravaged cities in the U.S., leaving crime, poverty 
and broken lives in its wake. The warnings coming from those cities 
have been blunt: This is no recreational drug that users can dabble 
in and move on. Its hooks are sharp and once imbedded they are 
difficult to remove.

More frightening still are the physiological changes that occur to a 
user. According to Dr. Shaohua Lu - a keynote speaker at the 
conference - the drug can actually re-wire the brain, leaving users 
in an irreversible psychotic state. The change happens rapidly, often 
leaving parents and spouses wondering what went wrong.

Police are well aware of the drug's impact. Its affect on users takes 
up a disproportionate amount of their time. Not only does it elevate 
the occurrences of crime as users seek money to pay for their habit, 
but the users themselves are unstable, unpredictable and usually violent.

Police have been advocating stricter controls on the components used 
to manufacture crystal meth.

We join that call.
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MAP posted-by: Beth