Pubdate: Fri, 03 Jun 2005
Source: Hanover Post, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005, Osprey Media Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.thepost.on.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2612
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

DO YOU THINK IT COULDN'T BE YOUR KID

Hanover, Walkerton and surrounding areas -- virtually all of The Post's 
coverage area -- is in the throes of an epidemic. Our young people are 
under a strong influence, and it's getting worse.

Crystal meth is here, and it's a huge problem.

Youths in this area -- and Canada-wide, for that matter -- are being 
destroyed by the week.

Parents, educators, even the police -- they're all at a loss about what to 
do about this rapidly growing problem.

It's more than a problem; it's approaching disaster status.

Meth is widely available. It's cheap and easy to get. Ask any high school 
student how to "score" and they'll point you in the right direction. Even 
the kids who would never touch the stuff -- they know who would.

The message here, coming directly from several parents in the area who 
spoke with The Post with the promise of anonymity, is that every family is 
vulnerable. If you think that your kid could never fall under the influence 
of drugs, think again.

And by the time most parents discover this truth, it's too late. They don't 
know what to do, and it's hard to force someone into rehab, if not 
impossible. Not only that, it's difficult to have a doctor commit a patient 
to rehabilitation, and they're released after only 72 hours.

This drug is destroying lives and families. It's readily available, and 
with the convenience of the Internet, kids can even learn how to make it 
themselves. The ingredients of crystal meth include ammonia, paint thinner, 
ether, Drano, lithium from batteries and rat poisoning, for starters.

It's available on our streets. There are meth houses in our neighbourhoods. 
If your teenager isn't doing it, he/she is bound to know at least one 
person who is.

What can be done? A lot. Action is needed, but education comes first. For 
the next several weeks, The Post will be helping with the education of our 
readers by exposing the true risks of this drug, as well as how to find 
help and who is doing what to help the families in our community. Not My 
Kid: Crystal Meth in Your Community begins this week with Part One, 
addressing what crystal meth is, in its many forms.

If, through this series, one family can be saved from destruction by this 
drug, it will be more than worth the effort.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom