Pubdate: Thu, 09 Nov 2006 Source: North Island Gazette (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 North Island Gazette Contact: http://www.northislandgazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2783 AWARENESS KEY TO CURTAILING METH The Crystal Meth Crisis is reaching epidemic proportions across Western Canada; its use is widespread across all age groups and is causing very serious health and social issues in many communities. While the epidemic has not yet hit the North Island, experts agree that a proactive stance is the preventative. "Crystal meth still isn't a huge problem on the North Island and is a relatively new issue, but it has the potential to create irreversible damage of whomever it touches," says Brian Thurber, newly-appointed director for Restorative Justice in Port Hardy. Port Hardy Area Restorative Justice Society received $10,000 from the provincial government to help build community awareness of crystal meth, and Thurber says the money was spent effectively. Three local hardware stores sell many of the ingredients that could be used to illegally produce crystal meth, and all three were contacted in person to deliver Meth Watch materials telling staff what to watch for and decals warning the public about the problem, said Thurber. There is one local pharmacy with a staff well-trained in what to watch for with decals obviously displayed, Thurber added. A 'Meth Madness' youth dance was planned with a comprehensive meth awareness presentation sandwiched between sets by two live rock bands. The program also reached out to building owners. Illicit meth labs in private residences, apartments and so one can contaminate an entire building and even the lot, says Thurber, who has tipped property managers and apartment owners on what to look for. A meth awareness booth at the two-day Fall Fair reached out to thousands of people who attended, says Thurber, as did an article in Gazette, free ads on Keta Cable and a call-in program on CFNI Radio. "We feel, overall, that the community awareness of the dangers of crystal meth has been substantially improved through our initiatives, which continue full speed through the fall of 2006," he says. Crystal Meth is one of the most addictive drugs on the streets right now, it not only destroys the lives of users, but it can pose huge dangers to families and entire communities where it is manufactured and used. Experts say meth hooks as many as 95 per cent of first-time users. Crystal Meth labs are being discovered in many First Nations communities, organized crime gangs help set them up and teach youth and young adults how to produce the drugs. Crystal Meth is easy to produce in small, clandestine labs, sometimes in a kitchen or bathroom, by mixing a cocktail of about 15 substances, mostly Pseudoephedrine (a cold remedy), red phosphorous and Iodine, but also including ammonia, paint thinner, ether, benzene, acetone, chloroform, Coleman camp-stove fuel, black Iodine, Epsom salts, diet aids, Drano and the lithium from batteries. Police say an investment of about $150 can yield up to $10,000 worth of the drug. But the resulting drug is often impure and the manufacturing process can be dangerous and cause fires. Crystal Meth has an extremely high potential for abuse and addiction. With street-level and higher doses of methamphetamine, especially if it is smoked or injected, the user immediately experiences an intense "rush" (also called a "flash") that causes intense pleasure but only last a few minutes. Users can become addicted and dependent quickly, needing more and higher does as the addiction progresses. The addiction level and the dangers of this particular drug are so alarming they need to be addressed as soon as possible before more people become trapped in its destructive grip. In some communities there are children as young as 12 years of age and some even younger that are already experimenting with this drug. Crystal Meth is not a recreational drug, it was designed with one purpose in mind and that purpose is to get it's users hopelessly addicted in an extremely short time span. It is in my opinion and the opinion of many of my colleagues the most insidious and destructive drug ever made and, it is a problem so huge it should be considered by leadership and health care professionals everywhere as the biggest crisis to hit their community since the devastation caused by the smallpox epidemic. - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine