Pubdate: Fri, 12 Jun 2009
Source: Parksville Qualicum Beach News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Black Press
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/5ZThWm9Z
Website: http://drugsense.org/url/3xEEhi0m
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1361
Author: Neil Horner
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada)

BATTLE AGAINST METH HERE NOT YET WON

The methamphetamine problem in Oceanside has subsided, although it 
hasn't completely gone away.

RCMP Const. Stewart Masi said he has been involved in getting the 
message out to teens about how dangerous the drug is.

"A lot of my involvement is in the schools, doing student 
presentations on different drugs, and what we are hearing is that 
meth is essentially, very much on the outs of popularity," Masi said. 
"This, to us, is a very good thing, because it's well documented how 
dangerous it is, how awful it is."

Masi said when the meth task force was set up a few years ago, the 
drug was considered a much larger problem, but Masi said this appears 
to have declined as the true nature of the drug has come clear to 
those who are at risk of experimenting with it.

"One of the things I do is show kids what's in meth and all are 
pretty horrified. For instance, there's camping fuel. I ask them if 
they would pour themselves a glass and take a shot. Then I go into 
the awful power of the addiction and how it rots them from the inside 
out. The kids don't want to be like that."

Despite the good news, Masi said it's too early to call the battle 
entirely won.

"It's still out there. It's on a very small scale though, and we're 
thankful for that."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom