Pubdate: Sat, 13 Aug 2005
Source: Regina Leader-Post (CN SN)
Copyright: 2005 The Leader-Post Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/361
Author: James Wood, CanWest News Service
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

SASKATCHEWAN TO HOST NATIONAL CRYSTAL METH CONFERENCE

A planned Western Canadian clinical conference on crystal meth abuse has 
expanded to become a national meeting that will be hosted by Saskatchewan, 
provincial and territorial leaders announced Friday.

The fight against the highly addictive and dangerous drug was at the top of 
Premier Lorne Calvert's agenda going in to the Council of the Federation 
meeting in Banff.

With the clinical conference one of a series of announcements about crystal 
meth, Calvert was obviously pleased when he spoke to reporters in a 
conference call after the premiers' meeting wrapped up in the afternoon.

"It will seek to bring together expertise. I think we're all searching for 
the most effective treatments, the most effective vehicles of prevention. 
There isn't a large body of scientific research. There is some. If we can 
bring together the knowledgeable so that as we each set out to develop 
prevention and treatment strategies we're learning from each other and not 
reinventing the wheel," he said.

Premiers also committed to a national awareness campaign on crystal meth 
specifically and substance abuse generally. And there was agreement to 
consider a national strategy of cracking down on the sale of the cold 
medicine that is used as an ingredient in crystal meth.

In June, a meeting of Western Canadian governments held in Regina saw them 
commit to a Western clinical conference on best practices of treatment and 
prevention of crystal meth abuse and an agreement to come up with a joint 
plan to restrict cold medicine containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine.

Calvert said Friday's agreement marked an expansion of what had come out of 
the earlier meeting.

"I am very pleased that premiers who perhaps came to this meeting not 
sensing a significant issue in their provinces in this time recognize now 
that the experience in the United States, the experience that we're seeing 
in Western Canada, means that we have an opportunity to take preventative 
action now that may well prevent this crystal meth from becoming a national 
epidemic," he said.

A Health department official said the government had begun organization 
work for the Western conference and should be able to make it a national 
meeting without too much difficulty.

It will likely be held in Regina, although that has not been confirmed yet. 
A date has also not been set but the official said it would be sometime 
between October and March.
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MAP posted-by: Beth