Pubdate: Wed, 05 Apr 2006
Source: Omineca Express (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Omineca Express
Contact:  http://www.ominecaexpress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2141
Author: Allan Wishart
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada)

CRYSTAL METH: EASY TO GET ON, HARD TO GET OFF

Cst. Christine Anderson Doesn't Mince Words When It Comes To Crystal Meth.

"Once you try it, you're hooked.

"It's a mean drug."

What's even worse, from the Vanderhoof RCMP member's point of view, 
is how easy it is to get the drug.

"You just have to go on the Internet to get the recipe. Everything 
you need, you can find at the hardware store."

Crystal meth and crack cocaine are two drugs which are rearing their 
heads in Vanderhoof, but so far at different levels.

"I specifically know crack is being cooked in Vanderhoof," Anderson 
says, "used and sold.

"I don't know if there is crystal meth production here yet."

Even if there isn't, it isn't hard for users here to get the drug.

"We're on a major highway. There's the potential for a lot of stuff 
moving between Prince George and Prince Rupert."

The news isn't all bad, though, on the drug front for the local RCMP. 
They're learning more and the public is getting more involved.

"More people know about the problem," Anderson says. "We're getting 
more Crime Stopper tips, which is really the only way we're going to 
get information.

"We're not going to get them from the buyers and users. They're too 
busy buying and using."

Anderson and other members of the local detachment are also using the 
DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program to get the word out in 
local schools.

"The kids talk to their parents about the program. If they see 
something suspicious, they know they can call the tip line."

The program also teaches the students what classifies as suspicious activity.

"If there's a house in the neighbourhood where there's a lot of 
traffic, but no one seems to stay for more than a couple of minutes," 
she says, "that's suspicious. It might not be a drug house, but it 
doesn't hurt to call us to check it out."

Anderson is looking forward to a May 2 public information session on 
crystal meth and crack in Vanderhoof. She's already attended a couple 
of similar sessions in the region.

"One I went to in Prince George was more the politicians talking 
about what kind of money they were putting into the fight. In Burns 
Lake, they had a public session, but they also had a session for 
ambulance personnel and other first responders.

"They told them, 'If you walk into something that looks like a drug 
lab, turn around and walk out.'"

She's seen and heard about the effects of the drug.

"You don't feel pain when you're on crystal meth. Your arms start 
itching, and you'll scratch right through the skin to try to stop the 
itch. One of the women at the Prince George session told me of an 
11-year-old girl she had talked to. She started doing crystal meth 
because it took away her hunger pains."

Anderson says some teenage girls try crystal meth as an appetite 
suppressant to lose weight, then find out they're hooked.

"I have a kit I take to the schools with me to show the kids what 
they're going to look like if they keep using meth. One of the 
telltale signs is burns on the lips. If you see that, you start 
looking for other signs, like sores on the arms and a gaunt look to the face."

The dealers are finding other ways to get users hooked, as well.

"They're mixing it into marijuana, putting it in the end of marijuana 
cigarettes. One girl in Vancouver died because she thought she was 
doing ecstasy."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom