Pubdate: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 Source: Kelowna Capital News (CN BC) Copyright: 2006, West Partners Publishing Ltd. Contact: http://www.kelownacapnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1294 Author: Jennifer Smith Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada) TURNING BACK THE TIDE ON CRYSTAL METH Stemming the onslaught of crystal meth amphetamine use and addiction devastating B.C. communities takes a large support base, experts told Kelowna stakeholders invited to the first crystal meth task force meeting. On Friday morning, business leaders, social service providers and active Kelowna residents gathered in council chambers to develop a plan for combatting the highly destructive drug, hoping to learn from other cities already coping with large-scale meth addiction. "Meth offers an incredible sales pitch for everyone who comes in contact with it," said speaker Mark McLaughlin, president of the Crystal Meth Victoria Society. "If you're shy, it will make you verbose, it will give you confidence. If you're body image is telling you you're overweight, you think you're gross meth will make you loose weight "If you're an athlete, meth will make you a little stronger, a little faster. But the pay off at the tail end is so not worth it and no one is there to tell them about it--yet. That's something that you can do." McLaughlin's adolescent daughter is a meth user, although her use is waning. More and more she sleeps under the safe roof of her family home, in her own bed--a considerable achievement for any meth user, often snatched into the drugs seductive 14-hour highs from their first toke. For the $5 to $10 teens use to go to the movies, they can buy a day's worth of euphoria and it's the youngest members of society who are making these lapses in judgment. "That first use, it's not just taking up a pipe and I think I'll go make a sandwich now. They take up that pipe and they go at it for hour after hour after hour until the drugs all gone or the body falls over and they must sleep," explained McLaughlin. His sentiments were echoed by the next presenters from the Alberta town of Hinton. A police officer from the Hinton Drug Action Committee described a young meth addict who happened upon an addict in distress one night and agreed to give him a ride home. Trying to help the man who said he was being pursued by someone and needed help making his get away, the young man dropped off the addict at home, where he was told the man has nothing to repay him. "He stick's the pipe in his mouth and lights it," said Const. Glenn Alford. The young man was told if he wanted more to come back. He promptly drove to a bank machine, took out as much money as he could get, drove back to the house and he was hooked. "We have to remember it's not the addict, it's the drug," said Alford, following a presentation which graphically described the pain crystal meth has brought to their town of 10,000. From grandchildren ripping off their families the day of a grandparent's funeral to the local meth dealer whose trailer saw visits from teachers, parents, even counsellors, meth use in Hinton outstripped every other town in Alberta--but not usage numbers in B.C. Crystal meth use has generated enough problems in this province to warrant a Crystal Meth Secretariat under the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, and the province is offering $10,000 grants for those municipalities willing to combat meth use on their streets. The efforts of McLaughlin's highly successful society wrapped up early last month leaving his community with a Meth Watch education program aimed at school students and an enforcement campaign that asks businesses to report large sales of the chemicals used to make the drug. Friday's meeting was called to rally support for one of the provincial funding grants and examine how similar problems can be avoided in Kelowna. Living Positive Resource Centre director Daryle Roberts said the centre called the meeting in conjunction with the city in order to: * secure bid support for a funding application to the University of British Columbia Municipalities to launch the action * form an advisory committee * decide if action plans used by Hinton and Victoria are a process Kelowna wants to adapt; and * sign up the volunteers to help stop meth use. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake