We are surrounded by quasi criminals wherever we live in Canada, maybe even more so in Sooke. They are the pastors who baptize our babies, the doctors we see for what ails us, the politicians we vote for, the police officers who pull us over for speeding and the plumbers who repaired our leaky faucets last week. The fact is multiple generations of the good folks in Sooke and across the country are engaging in criminal activity at any given moment. [continues 417 words]
Langford passes bylaw holding property owners responsible for clean-up The City of Langford has joined a growing list of B.C. municipalities holding homeowners responsible for the cost of dealing with grow-ops and clandestine labs on their properties. Langford council unanimously adopted a bylaw Monday that puts landlords on the hook for the cost of dismantling, cleaning up and disposing of hazardous materials associated with marijuana grow operations and labs producing illegal substances like crystal meth. The bylaw has been in the works since the beginning of 2006, after the Union of British Columbia Municipalities presented a model bylaw at its annual convention, said Coun. Lillian Szpak, chair of Langford's protective services committee. [continues 318 words]
Recovering Addicts Alert Middle School Students To Dangers Of Crystal Meth Students at Spencer middle school got a crystal-clear look at life on meth through the words of two peers currently in recovery. Brenna Barker and Morgana Glass spoke openly about their descent into the living hell of meth-amphetamine before fielding questions from the students who packed Isabelle Reader Theatre Tuesday for three presentations by the Crystal Meth Victoria Society. Barker, who started smoking meth when she was 11, said the biggest challenge for her has been to stay away from downtown and friends who still use meth. [continues 790 words]
The most disturbing part of the Crystal Meth Victoria presentation at Belmont Secondary wasn't the stomach twisting close-ups of arms covered with pus-filled, freshly-picked scabs, even though they were enough to make you look away or lose your lunch. It wasn't the gut-churning interviews with kids strung out on crystal talking about how they'd destroyed irreplaceable chunks of their lives, or friends they'd lost to suicide. The most alarming moment was when Crystal Meth Victoria president Mark McLaughlin asked how many students knew someone "who is crystal meth involved." [continues 555 words]
The grim statistics are as startling as the graphic images that result from crystal meth use. At a forum sponsored by the Crystal Meth Victoria Society at the Isabelle Reader Theatre Tuesday, West Shore RCMP Const. Kerry Howse reinforced the growing concern, describing crystal meth as the biggest problem facing youth. "If it takes hold, it will be a tremendous problem," Howse said. Statistics show 46 per cent of first-time users become addicted. That climbs to 96 per cent after only two uses. [continues 698 words]
Liberal Senator Larry Campbell blasted Conservative leader Stephen Harper's stand on the safe-injection sites. "There's a clear difference between the two parties, especially after Harper said 'no' to money to fight the drug problem," Campbell said during a swing to the West Shore to support incumbent Liberal MP Keith Martin. "Harper's attitude is it's a criminal offence, they're bad people and should be put in jail." Campbell, the former mayor of Vancouver and a driving force behind Vancouver's safe injection site, said the facility has reduced the risk of disease spread by the estimated 3,000 addicts who live there. Campbell pointed out that there are now 600 injections a day taking place in a safer environment. [continues 242 words]
Liberal Senator Larry Campbell waded in on the issue of safe injection sites Thursday at incumbent Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca Liberal MP Dr. Keith Martin's Colwood Corners campaign office. Campbell, the former mayor of Vancouver and a driving force behind Vancouver's safe injection site, blasted Conservative leader Stephen Harper's stand on the issue. "There's a clear difference between the two parties, especially after Harper said no to money to fight the drug problem," Campbell said. "Harper's attitude is it's a criminal offense, they're bad people and should be put in jail." [continues 329 words]
Keeping kids safe from drug abuse is a balancing act in need of adjustment, says RCMP Cpl. Scott Rintoul, the keynote speaker at a Drug Information Night for Parents Nov. 1 in Langford. What's missing in the balance is more parental involvement, said Rintoul, head of an RCMP intelligence probe on criminal drug trends in B.C. since 1998. "Parental intervention is a key in reducing drug use," he said. "Parents have the No. 1 responsibility." Too many parents rely on schools and sports coaches to educate kids about the danger of drugs, Rintoul said, pointing out that the process has to begin before kids start to use, which can be as early as 11 years old. [continues 306 words]
It will be interesting to see if the menace of crystal meth, which garnered a few seconds in the spotlight during the election campaign, gets shoved to the back burner now that the votes have been tallied. Premier Gordon Campbell indicated during the campaign that he's prepared to step up the penalties for producing and trafficking, and would seek assistance from Ottawa and other provinces toward that end. The fact that meth was front and centre at a meeting of western premiers earlier this year indicates awareness is on the rise, but we have to question whether stiffer sentences - the same as for cocaine and heroin as Campbell has suggested - is going to make a difference. [continues 539 words]
WEST SHORE - While methamphetamines have been around since the 1960s, the new wave of high-powered crystal meth is much purer and more potent than what was available in the past, says the prevention/treatment manager for the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area in Washington State. "It's like comparing French's mustard to imported Dijon," Dr. Steve Freng said. "It's the most seductive, insidious drug I've encountered in 30 years in the field." One reason for the drug's rapid proliferation in the past 10 years is that anyone who knows what he's doing can cook it up, using a scary mix of chemicals and ingredients that are readily available, and with as little equipment as what would easily fit into the trunk of a car. "We're not talking about rocket scientists here," Freng said. [continues 491 words]
A mother-daughter team added powerful personal perspective to the menace of crystal meth at a Drug Information Night for Parents last week. Gabriella Reuben, a Victoria teenager in her seventh month of recovery from crystal meth addiction, and her mother, Joanne Reuben, answered questions from an attentive audience of about 200 parents during the forum at Isabelle Reader Theatre Nov. 9. Gabriella, demonstrating a surprising maturity and candor for someone weeks away from their 17th birthday, said crystal meth is everywhere. [continues 833 words]
"Crystal meth is an epidemic and it's headed your way," says an expert in the field who will speak at a local drug information night for parents Nov. 9. "It's a phenomenon that's much broader than a particular municipality or community." Steve Freng, a prevention and treatment manager for the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area in Washington State, knows all too well of what he speaks, having watched the phenomenon of crystal meth unfold in his area. [continues 634 words]
A View Royal house all wired up and ready to grow will cost thousands of dollars to repair. Police executed a search warrant Jan. 22 about 10 p.m. at a rented house in the area of Island Highway and Stormont Road, West Shore RCMP Cpl. Brian Kerr said. "There were holes cut in the walls, the floors and the stairs for venting," Kerr said. "The damage was quite extensive." Kerr said they called in BC Hydro to cut power to the house because the wiring was in such poor shape. [continues 110 words]
"Jib, gak, jab, shard, tweak, Tina, Chrissy, ice, crank, kiddy-crack" or "speed." Whatever name it's going by this week, crystal methamphetamine use is growing at an alarming rate across the region. Victoria police Sgt. John Bond, who heads the city's strike force unit, says crystal meth has become far more prevalent in the last year. "We're seeing more and more in Victoria and Esquimalt," says Bond, who notes one of the mandates of the strike force is taking responsibility for drug-related files. He says crystal meth is showing up more frequently in undercover purchases and during the execution of search warrants. [continues 630 words]
Jib, gak, jab, shard, tweak, Tina, Chrissy, ice, crank, kiddy-crack or speed. Whatever name it's going by this week, crystal methamphetamine use is growing at an alarming rate on the West Shore. "We weren't hearing about it a year ago," said Cpl. Brian Kerr of the West Shore RCMP street crime unit. "Now we're hearing about it on a weekly, sometimes daily basis." Kerr cited as an example a dealer he busted carrying crystal meth, ecstasy, cocaine and ketamine, a form of horse tranquilizer known as Special K, in the CanWest Mall area a couple of months. [continues 548 words]
Ninety students from Ruth King Elementary School dared to be different. The Grade 5 and 6 students received certificates and tee-shirts for completing the DARE, (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in a ceremony before school closed for the summer last month. "It's important to reach kids at the elementary school level," said West Shore RCMP Const. Beth Chipperfield. "Peer pressure to use drugs begins in junior high school. It's important to educate kids to make the right decision about drugs and violence." [continues 180 words]
A meeting, aptly titled "Our Youth and Drugs," on Thursday, May 8 aims to provide concerned parents with information about the burgeoning drug problem on the West Shore. "The bottom line is the drug problem is increasing dramatically on the West Shore," said West Shore RCMP Cpl. Brian Kerr, who helped organize the event. "We get calls weekly from parents and school authorities concerned about what is going on in the community." Kerr said meth-amphetamine use, which has taken off in Vancouver and downtown Victoria, is starting to become a big problem on the West Shore. [continues 155 words]
The West Shore RCMP are alarmed by a significant increase in cocaine use by teenagers on the West Shore. "In the last two months, I've received many calls from parents concerned that their kids are addicted," said Cpl. Brian Kerr of the West Shore RCMP street crime unit. "We're seeing more problems typical of big cities as the community continues to grow, and we have to be prepared for this." Kerr said the recent arrest of a street-level dealer led to the seizure of a significant amount of cocaine and methamphetamine. [continues 391 words]
"It's important to remember the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program is just a launching pad," said Const. Scott Hilderley of the West Shore RCMP detachment. "The DARE program is a triangle made up of the students, family and police. If you remove one side, the whole triangle collapses." Hilderley's comments came after a recent graduation of Grade 6 students at Ruth King elementary school from the DARE program. It was the fourth such group Hilderley has graduated from the school. [continues 190 words]
The West Shore RCMP shut down five more grow-ops in the Western Communities last week in an effort to put a dent in the area's budding illegal cottage industry. One operation raided last Thursday, in a duplex on Jacklin Road, was of particular concern to police because it is situated directly across the street from Belmont senior secondary school. Police found 17 high-potency plants, all in the drying stage, ready for sale on the street. "We don't feel like we're fighting a losing battle, but it's an uphill struggle," Cpl. Brian Kerr said. [continues 158 words]
