Pubdate: Fri, 12 Aug 2005 Source: Vancouver 24hours (CN BC) Copyright: 2005, Canoe Inc Contact: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3837 Author: Matt Kieltyka Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) METH COULD MEAN LIFE Stiffer penalties for those cranking out crystal meth was welcome news for the Vancouver Police Department, which is currently mired in a losing battle against the drug. The federal government announced yesterday that traffickers of the addictive drug could now face life in prison. The previous maximum was 10 years. "It sends a clear message crystal meth and its effect on the community is being taken seriously," said Cost. Howard Chow. "It will definitely help us in our fight against it." Chow says the drug isn't as common as cocaine, but the environmental concerns with meth labs and the drug's effect on users means police have to be vigilant. Now it looks like the courts will be too. "It's a step forward," said Chow. "We do what we do with the laws we have. It has to be a multi-pronged approach, and it has to start from the top down." The new lifetime sentence available to judges puts penalties on par with the production and trafficking of cocaine and heroin. Health minister Ujjal Dosanjh is also trying to pass a law that would see people in possession of large qualities of the ingredients used to make meth, such as rock salt, battery acid, ammonia and cold medicine, could face a $5,000 fine or three years in jail. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek