Pubdate: Wed, 08 Jun 2005
Source: Victoria News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 Victoria News
Contact:  http://www.vicnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1267
Author: Vern Faulkner
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

TACKLING THE METH MENACE

ESQUIMALT - A freshly minted society hopes to provide a united front
against crystal meth.

Titled the Crystal Meth Society Victoria, members of the group planned
to formally announce their existence at a press conference this
(Wednesday) morning.

The group hopes to facilitate the creation of a task force, bringing
together youth groups, additions agencies, police and community groups
to help tackle the growing problem of meth addiction in the community.

The group hoped to claim the title Crystal Meth B.C. Society, but the
province wouldn't allow the name to stand, according to founding
director Ruth Layne, an Esquimalt councillor.

So, while the group bears the "Victoria" title, their mandate will
ultimately span beyond the Capital Region. The group will seek funds
from corporate and private donors, Layne said.

One of its first missions - one of many - is to push to see retailers
remove some of the main ingredients of the highly toxic compound from
common retail shelves.

Layne said that similar moves proved successful in Maple Ridge - which
saw creation of a similar anti-meth task force last year. Typical
ingredients for meth include certain brands of cold medication,
kerosene and lithium batteries.

"You can't believe what goes into crystal meth," Layne
said.

The toxic ingredients typically trigger sores on the skin in habitual
users.

"It's usually a tell-tale sign that someone is using meth," Layne
added.

Simply placing those kinds of items in a more secure location -
ideally behind the counter - is a vital first step to combating the
spread of meth addiction, Layne suggested.

The key to the group's success, she said, lies in generating awareness
through the media.

"It's really important that we build relationships," she
said.

The group is hoping to have its website, http://www.crystalmethbc.ca,
available online soon.

It is expected to contain a variety of useful information, such as
what to look for should one suspect someone of using crystal meth and
who to call if you know of someone concocting it.

The impact of this relatively new drug cannot be understated. Health
and law officials consider it one of the more dangerous street drugs
due its highly addictive nature and relatively low production cost.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin