Pubdate: Fri, 05 Dec 2014
Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON)
Copyright: 2014 Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418
Author: Vik Kirsch
Page: A1

METH ADDICTION ON THE RISE IN GUELPH

Officials say cheap, long-lasting street drug can be attractive to
youth, but its effects are severe

GUELPH - The influx of the street drug crystal methamphetamine has
authorities concerned as they watch addiction set in and the community
afflicted with spinoff effects.

"It's a very bad drug," Guelph federal prosecutor David Doney said
Monday. "This is a very serious and dangerous drug."

He's increasingly encountering it in the justice system.

"It seems to be becoming more prevalent," Doney said.

Local drug enforcement officers are equally concerned. "(It's) highly
addictive. Very dangerous," Guelph Police Service drug unit head Det.
Sgt. Ben Bair said.

Such street drugs tend "to lead toward street violence," Bair
continued. That's because the relatively cheap, long-lasting meth
gains control over individuals and puts them at personal risk when
they run out of means to pay for their supplies or turn to crimes such
as theft, burglary and prostitution.

Bair said police have found evidence of such spinoff crimes when
executing search warrants at crystal meth houses, notably stolen
property and evidence of the sex trade.

Meth falls under the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
There were 433 occurrences recorded in Guelph in 2013, outlined in the
police service's just-released annual report. That's up almost eight
per cent from the previous year.

The focus on crystal meth corresponds with a drop in drug seizures in
general, to $731,000 last year from $1.77 million the year before.
Bair said while that's a reflection of the lower street value of meth,
police are targeting the drug because it's a danger.

Bair recalls a time when crack cocaine swept through the region two
decades ago, leading to an increase of arrests and seizures.

"Right now, crystal meth is doing the exact same thing," Bair said, of
Guelph and much of southern Ontario. Police forces outside Guelph are
feeling it, he added. Sanguen Health Centre, the regional drug
treatment facility operating out of bases in Kitchener and Guelph, has
seen an increase in people seeking help for crystal meth addiction,
community co-ordinator Jan Klotz said.

She concurred with Bair crystal meth is readily available and
inexpensive, with youths of both genders increasingly attracted to the
illicit drug for these reasons. Once they're regular users, getting
off the drug is a challenge without counselling. "It's very
addictive," Klotz said. Treatment is available and some crystal meth
users pursue it, but getting others to accept help is difficult
because extended use of the stimulant makes them wary of others, Klotz
said.

That paranoia can be pronounced, Bair said.

Methamphetamine comes in several forms, with crystal meth referring to
the smokeable form. Others can be taken orally, snorted or injected.
Meth can come in the form of off-white chunks, a coarse powder called
"speed" and the crystalline form from which crystal meth takes its
name.

It's different from the speed available in the 1960s, being more pure
- - and thus more powerful - and cheaper.

It's easily ingested as smoke and, thus, rapid-acting, Bair said. The
nearly immediate high reminds users of a similar stimulant - crack
cocaine. But because it's lower in cost and longer lasting, some drug
users are switching to meth from coke, the head of the drug unit said.

Extended use can lead to hallucinations and other strange behaviour.
Bair said some committed users have open sores on their faces from
scratching themselves repeatedly, believing they're infested with
bugs. Paranoia can lead to irritation and aggression.

Bair said whereas cocaine is imported, meth can be made regionally,
though he's not convinced Guelph is home to many meth labs.

Yet contrary to popular perception, meth can be easily made in
makeshift setups, like a single large pop bottle and some tubing. Bair
is warning residents to be wary of large pop bottles, perhaps sporting
rubber tubes, containing an unknown substance with the consistency of
oatmeal. Chemical reactions in the bottle can produce heat and
pressure, turning the bottles into fire and explosion hazards.

Those encountering t hem should flee and call police
immediately.

"We'll investigate," Bair said.
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