Pubdate: Fri, 24 Jun 2005
Source: Chilliwack Progress (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Chilliwack Progress
Contact:  http://www.theprogress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/562

DEALING WITH THE DANGERS OF CRYSTAL METH

It is hard not to overestimate the danger posed by methamphetamine. The
drug, which was the focus of a one-day conference in Chilliwack on Thursday,
packs an attractive combination for young people. It's cheap and the
euphoric effects last a long time.

It also carries a danger that people in this country are just starting to
figure out.

Methamphetamine - or crystal meth, as it's more commonly referred to - is
not a new drug. It has already ravaged cities in the United States, leaving
crime, poverty and broken lives in its wake.

The warnings coming from those cities have been blunt: This is no
recreational drug that users can dabble in and move on. Its hooks are sharp
and once imbedded they are difficult to remove.

More frightening still are the physiological changes that occur to a user.
According to Dr. Shaohua Lu - a keynote speaker at the conference - the drug
can actually rewire the brain, leaving users in an irreversible psychotic
state.

It goes to the fundamental heart of our brain function," said Dr. Lu.
Everything about us gets changed as a result." (See story, page 3.) The
change happens rapidly - often leaving parents and spouses wondering what
went wrong.

Police are well aware of the drug's impact. Its affect on users takes up a
disproportionate amount of their time. Not only does it elevate the
occurrences of crime as users seek money to pay for their habit, but the
users themselves are unstable, unpredictable and usually violent.

Police have been advocating stricter controls on the components used to
manufacture crystal meth.

We join that call.

Currently, it is far too easy to mass produce the drug, using little more
than over-the-counter ingredients and basic chemistry know-how.

But until that happens we must become better aware of the dangers posed by
crystal meth. And we must ensure there is adequate support in place for
those who fall victim to its lures. 
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