Pubdate: Thu, 03 Jun 2004 Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN) Copyright: 2004 The StarPhoenix Contact: http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400 Author: James Wood, The StarPhoenix Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) POLICE ON LOOKOUT FOR CRYSTAL METH LABS REGINA -- As police deal with a growing problem of crystal methamphetamine use in the province, the biggest need may be for a team to clean up highly dangerous drug labs if they spread to rural Saskatchewan. Sgt. Jerome Engele, in charge of operations for the Saskatoon Police Service/RCMP integrated drug unit, said there are 11 police officers in the province trained to respond to the labs. While large city fire departments have hazardous material units that can help with the take-down and decontamination of the labs, there's a concern over the availability of training and equipment in rural areas, he said. There are also big questions over who will pay the cost of decontamination, he added. "It would be ideal if you had a lab team equipped with all the equipment that we have, so that one or two teams, one for the south, one for the north, can respond to anywhere in Saskatchewan. That would be ideal but it's very costly," said Engele in an interview Wednesday. Crystal meth is cooked using pharmaceuticals and dangerous materials such as anhydrous ammonia, lithium from batteries and drain cleaner. The labs can explode or give off poisonous gases. Police have taken down one lab in Saskatoon that they suspect was used to make crystal meth but Engele said police suspect there are more in the city and rural areas. He pointed out that in North Dakota there were about 350 such labs running last year. "Saskatchewan is very similar in its lay of the land. We're a farming community, we've got a lot of free space, we've got a lot of empty farm homesteads where people can move in and use it as a lab to cook," said Engele. Crystal meth use is growing because it's a cheap and highly-addictive drug, he said. In Saskatoon there were 58 arrests or seizures connected to the drug in 2003, compared to none in 2000. In the first 15 days of 2004 alone, there were 10 arrests or seizures. In Regina however, there have been only three crystal meth arrests in the last six months. Crystal meth was raised as an issue at the legislature Wednesday, with the Saskatchewan Party calling on the province to launch an integrated strategy. Opposition Leader Brad Wall said he wants to see health, education and law enforcement departments work together to deal with the cheap and highly-addictive drug. "We raise it because we want to raise awareness about it," he told reporters following a question period devoted mostly to the issue. "Does the government have a handle on the prevalence of it, how widespread it is in Saskatchewan and secondly, what is the government doing? Is there a strategy? Other provinces are looking at interdepartmental strategies, some have implemented them already." Justice Minister Frank Quennell said government agencies have been dealing with crystal methamphetamine on all three fronts. New government legislation will provide additional tools to deal with drug houses and the province has been in discussions with the federal government about toughening laws dealing with substances used to make crystal meth, he said. Quennell said he would be willing to talk to local police authorities about decontamination of rural labs. Learning Minister Andrew Thomson said Saskatchewan schoolchildren study a curriculum that promotes healthy lifestyles and stresses the importance of avoiding drugs. There will likely be an increased emphasis on crystal meth as part of that curriculum, he said. "I think we should, as this drug becomes the drug of choice, we need to become more aware of it and we need to make sure we emphasize that within the school system so that young people understand this is one thing they may be approached on," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D