Pubdate: Wed, 29 Dec 2004 Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC) Copyright: 2004 Vancouver Courier Contact: http://www.vancourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474 Author: Mike Howell, Staff writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) CRYSTAL METH ADDING TO WEST END WOES Hire more police, create better services for the homeless and the addicted and stop kicking people off welfare. That's how to prevent some of the drug dealing and break-ins from continuing in the Bute and Davie neighbourhood, says the manager of Hamburger Mary's. George Adams has worked for the popular West End diner for 10 years and has noticed an increase both in crime and drug activity on the street. The diner's bathroom has also been used by addicts to inject drugs, he said. Adams points to the police's crackdown on drug dealers in the Downtown Eastside, which began almost two years ago, as a reason for the problems in the neighbourhood. "They've all come here," he said. The diner is located on the southwest corner of Bute and Davie, a corner known to many residents and police as "crystal corner" because of the prevalence of crystal methamphetamine along the strip. When the Courier visited the corner Wednesday morning, no visible drug dealing was occurring, but there were people loitering in alleys, some of them leaning into a car with blacked-out windows. Adams said he's witnessed drug deals at all times of the day. On his way to work last week, he heard one woman threaten to kill another woman after she got her crack pipe wet in the rain, he said. He also showed the Courier a surveillance tape of a man breaking into a metal barricade at the back of the diner to steal food, worth about $200. He's the same man who broke in about two months ago and stole $400 worth of food, including 10 cans of olive oil. Adams has a tape of the Dec. 7 crime and is waiting for police to pick it up. "I know it's petty theft, but it cuts into the bottom line of everything," he said. Business has dropped by about 20 per cent from two years ago, with fewer customers wanting to "walk the gauntlet" of dealers, addicts and panhandlers in the early morning hours, he said. Hamburger Mary's is open until 3 a.m., Monday to Thursday, and until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. In a recent early morning walkabout with city officials, the Courier witnessed several people sleeping on the street in front of the convenience store, next door to the diner. Const. Sarah Bloor, a media liaison officer for the Vancouver police department, said police recently ran an undercover operation in downtown Vancouver to crack down on addicts breaking into residences and vehicles. A combined force of 36 police and security guards launched Project Grinch Dec. 13, which ran over four days and led to 11 arrests and 30 charges. Bloor didn't know if any of the suspects were connected to the Bute and Davie area, but said drug addicts commonly break into vehicles for money or any other items that could be exchanged for drugs. "It's nothing new, unfortunately," she said. Crystal methamphetamine is such a concern for police and health care workers that a conference was held last month to discuss methods of reducing its use in the city. In a previous interview with the Courier, Dr. Ian Martin, who counsels crystal-meth addicted street kids and homeless people at the Three Bridges Community Health Centre, said the drug is a stimulant that kills brain cells and can lead the user to experience delusional and hallucinatory behaviour. The behaviour can be consistent with paranoid schizophrenia, in which the user gets the sense "that people are out to get them." That feeling of paranoia could lead to them taking "pretty drastic actions to avoid people," he said. Martin said his clients don't want help to kick the habit, noting the $4 to $6 cost per dose is cheaper than cocaine and heroin-leading him to wonder why the drug is not more prevalent on the Downtown Eastside. "I had a cocaine addict tell me he spends a thousand bucks a day on cocaine. It's amazing to me why crystal meth isn't as big on the Downtown Eastside, but maybe it's just a matter of time, I don't know." Crystal meth comes in powder form and can be snorted, smoked or injected. It's made with chemicals commonly found in cold medicine, such as ephedrine. The chemicals used in its creation are more harmful than those used in past decades. The high, depending on the dosage, can last for 24 to 36 hours. Continued usage can lead to seizures, strokes, asthma and other health problems. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D