Pubdate: Thu, 23 Feb 2006
Source: Hope Standard (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Hope Standard
Contact:  http://www.hopestandard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1397
Author: Darla Dickinson

POLICE SHARE THEIR STREET-LEVEL EXPERIENCE WITH CRYSTAL
METH

Almost 100 concerned residents gathered last week to hear Cst. Kurt
Bosnell speak of his experiences with Crystal Meth in the Hope area.

As Hope's serious crimes investigator Cst. Bosnell's insight into the
local drug scene is based largely on his experience dealing with
Crystal Meth since his arrival in Hope five years ago.

 From what the drug looks like, to how it is consumed, the audience
got a feel for what the drug is and the level of addiction of local
users. "Five years ago when I got here Cocaine was big in Hope and
over time Crystal Meth has become the drug of choice. In Boston Bar
they have a real Crack problem right now but Crystal Meth is slowly
making its way up there too," says Constable Kurt Bosnell, with the
Hope RCMP general investigations unit.

The effects of the drug on the user? It gives them a rush that can
last for hours, rather than minutes with Crack and Cocaine, and it
gives them a real feeling of euphoria with increased confidence,
alertness and often aggression.

The drug is so renown for this ability that it was used in the Second
World War by soldiers and pilots to assist in keeping them awake and
alert for long missions. But, cautions Bosnell, "the drug was used in
much smaller amounts and it was not as powerful then as it is now."
Amphetamine use died off and came back in the 60's but got a bad name
due to the obvious side effects. The saying 'speed kills' was born out
of amphetamine usage in the 60's.

In the 1990's it re-emerged in a crystallized form (looks like tiny
pieces of crystal shards) and was twice as powerful.

"This drug has almost gotten to the point where it has run cocaine out
of town and there are no boundaries with this drug - all classes and
ages take it and it is far more affordable than cocaine," says Bosnell.

The drug is all chemicals with nothing natural in it and the impact
that it has on a person's mind is a gradual take over until they
become more and more psychotic.

Packaging - commonly in little one inch by one inch plastic baggies,
often decorated with symbols to make them more attractive. "The users
are going to keep the baggies so they can collect them and scrape them
clean later. The only purpose of these decorated baggies is for drugs
- - there is no other reason for them to be around," says Cst. Bosnell.

The drug can be snorted, swallowed, smoked or injected - usually
dependent on a person's tolerance level.

When snorted, they grind the crystal shards into powder and snort it.
Good indications one may find is hollow pens or straws cut at angles.
If they snort it - empty plastic capsules may be found.

"As their tolerance builds up and the high doesn't last for as long,
they are going to find other ways to do it. By far the most common way
that people in Hope take it is to smoke it," says Bosnell.

It's smoked using a little glass pipe with a bowl at the
end.

A good indication to look for is small propane torches as it takes a
great deal of heat to melt the drug down. "You might see burnt fingers
or thumbs from plugging the hole at the top of the pipe," adds Bosnell.

"Long time users with great tolerance will inject it so all of it gets
into the system. In addition, we have a lot of people in Hope with
Hepatitis C, so if they start sharing needles we are going to have
another kind of epidemic on our hands," says Bosnell.

Continued on pg. 12 
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