Pubdate: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2006 Calgary Herald Contact: http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 Author: Jason van Rassel Task force to propose special drug court Plan to halt spread of crystal meth Jason van Rassel Calgary Herald Specialized courts that would send drug users to treatment and adding hundreds of new beds for addicts are among 83 recommendations to be released today by a provincial task force formed to fight the spread of crystal meth in Alberta. Government sources speaking on condition of anonymity told the Calgary Herald the report calls for a minimum of 100 new detoxification beds and at least 200 new treatment beds across the province. The task force, formed in October 2005, heard repeatedly about the need for more treatment resources for addicts, said Colleen Klein, who was appointed to co-chair the initiative by her husband, Premier Ralph Klein. "We've got some very remote areas that don't have access (to treatment). There has to be access for all and no one should be denied," Colleen Klein said in an interview with the Herald. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that can be made using household chemicals and solvents to extract its key ingredient -- ephedrine -- from common over-the-counter cold and allergy medications. Treatment is only one area touched on by the task force. It also makes recommendations on improving drug education for youth, changes to the justice system and increased police resources targeting crystal meth. The report calls on the federal government to change the Criminal Code to include tougher sentences for people convicted of making and selling meth, as well as imposing tighter controls on the precursors used to make it. For addicts, however, the task force is recommending a different approach: specialized courts that offer treatment instead of jail for those deemed eligible -- usually non-violent offenders who commit crimes to pay for their addiction. Specialized courts have reduced drug-related offences in many U.S. jurisdictions since they were introduced more than a decade ago. "Instead of slapping everyone in jail, you provide healing," Colleen Klein said. Edmonton already has a federally-funded drug court, and officials in Calgary recently formed a committee to establish one here. Although meth use isn't epidemic in Alberta, its explosive growth in the U.S. prompted formation of the task force to prevent a similar crisis here. "The threat today, as opposed to when I first became interested four years ago, is growing and growing. It's certainly not going away," Colleen Klein said. Police are encountering more meth on the streets, but the quantities still pale in comparison to the amount of crack cocaine changing hands. City police have recorded 78 incidents involving meth so far this year, compared with 52 during the same period in 2005. However, it's a fraction of the 756 crack cocaine offences recorded by police by the end of July. Nevertheless, Calgary police are concerned about meth's spread and drug investigators said greater enforcement would turn up more of it. "If we had a dedicated investigative initiative doing strictly crystal meth, you'd see a significant rise in seizures and more success in finding labs," said Staff Sgt. Monty Sparrow. Last year, the Alberta College of Pharmacists took steps to fight meth production by limiting access to medications with ephedrine or its synthetic form, pseudoephedrine. That move has thwarted so-called mom and pop labs in other jurisdictions, but the overwhelming majority of meth in Alberta is made by organized crime groups that steal or buy bulk quantities of pseudoephedrine. Although the five clandestine labs dismantled by the RCMP in 2005 represents a decrease from 13 in 2002, most were large rural operations capable of making several pounds of meth in a single cook. "It's easier for the bad guys to go undetected there," said Cpl. Barbara Hope of the RCMP's provincial clandestine lab team. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek