SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

Staff Sgt. Ian Sanderson started off his Drug Trends in Alberta
presentation with a warning, "this is a frank discussion about drugs
and we can't sugar coat it."

And he didn't.

Throughout the presentation, Sanderson provided details on the
appearance and effects of certain types of drugs that have been
prevalent in Alberta for the past few years. He started the evening
off by crushing a few common misconceptions about substances.

He said most people mistakenly believe that marijuana has been
legalized in Canada, and that the only thing that changed during a
review of Canada's Drug Strategy in 2003 was the way police deal with
marijuana offences. Research on the medicinal benefits of marijuana
to those suffering with a terminal illness is also patchy, said Sanderson.

"You won't find a single governing body that supports it because you
have to smoke it, and AIDS and cancer patients are at high risk for
lung infections."

Sanderson also said that marijuana is usually referred to as the
"gateway drug," and many people think that if a person uses
marijuana, harder, and more dangerous drugs usually replace it.

"The gateway is the addiction. It doesn't matter what the drugs are."

He also said although more and more people are abusing prescription
drugs, it's difficult for RCMP to gain any concrete information about
how they are accessed.

"Cops aren't allowed to talk to pharmacists about whether
prescriptions are legitimate."

Sanderson went on to describe major 'club drugs,' saying that
although these drugs are commonly thought to be present only at
raves, they "are not exclusive to the so-called dance culture."

These drugs are coloured pills that have 'designer logos,' and are
commonly sold as ecstasy. Sanderson says most are not pure ecstasy,
and people who produce the pills colour them to hide the other drugs
mixed in, such as methamphetamine or ketamine. The new fad, says
Sanderson, is 'trail mix,' a pill made of five or six different
drugs. A recent study in Vancouver analyzed the contents of club
drugs sold at ecstasy, and found that they were 76% methamphetamine
and 22% ketamine.

"You just don't know."

Ketamine was originally produced as an anesthetic that was used
during the Vietnam War. After it was discovered that ketamine caused
psychosis in people, veterinarians began using it to tranquilize
large animals. The drug causes what Sanderson describes as an
out-of-body experience where the person is conscious, but has no
concept of what's happening, making ketamine common in drug-induced
sexual assaults.

Commonly referred to as 'the date rape drug,' GHB affects the central
nervous system, and is tasteless and odourless. Sanderson says GHB's
effects are similar to alcohol, and causes decreased motor function
in the people who take it.

Ketamine and GHB cause the brain to get "over-revved," raise body
temperature to fever levels and bring about severe dehydration.

Although both of these drugs are associated with rape, Sanderson
stressed that the most common drug with sexual assault is alcohol.
What's more, it's usually self-induced.

Another risk with club drugs, Sanderson says, is that permanent
damage to the central nervous system and motor function could happen.

"That's the real danger. We don't know what the long-term effects of
these drugs are."

Prescription drugs have also gained popularity with abusers, as they
cause a "warm, fuzzy feeling," says Sanderson. Drugs like oxycontin,
percocet and percodan are extremely addictive and, as the addiction
goes on, the abuser has to take more and more because the body builds
up a tolerance.

Salvia, also known as peyote, is legal in Canada, but is currently on
the Health Canada watch list. Sanderson says if smoked, the effects
produced are 10 times that of LSD.

"Most people don't smoke it more than a couple of times because it
scares the bejesus out of them."

Methamphetamine is described as reaching epidemic proportions in the
United States, says Sanderson, and has surpassed cocaine as the
most-used drug in many areas. Popular in the 1960s with biker groups,
meth dropped off the radar until it reappeared in California in 1989.
The term "Speed Kills" is not a seatbelt campaign, rather, it's a
warning about the effects of the drug that Sanderson says is emerging
as the #1 drug problem around the world.

Referred to as 'jib' in Alberta, RCMP have seen over 100% growth in
the use of meth every year.

"Meth goes like a fire down the Yellowhead corridor."

Meth is a cooked up mixture of common household products like cold
tablets, drain opener, brake fluid and gasoline, making home-based,
or clandestine, labs grow in numbers. Most ingredients are extremely
explosive, says Sanderson, and emit an overly acidic smell. For every
unit of meth produced, seven units of toxic waste are left over,
making it difficult to hide a home lab.

Sanderson says although there's no evidence that using the drug once
or twice will cause dependency, meth is also extremely addictive, and
causes a slate of negative affects to the user. Meth users don't eat
or sleep, and, eventually, their chemical make-up is like that of a
paranoid schizophrenic. After developing an addiction to meth, it's
estimated to take two years of abstinence and therapy before an
addict has beaten the overpowering desire to get high.

Sanderson advised parents in the audience to connect with their
children to lessen the pressure to become involved in abusing.

"Active parenting can reduce a child's risk of drug use by 70%," says
Sanderson.

Ponoka RCMP Staff Sgt. Paul Sowers explained that cocaine, in both
powder and rock, commonly called crack, forms are the most prevalent
drugs in Ponoka. However, Sowers urged the crowd to keep in mind the
other drugs Sanderson explained.

"If you take anything away from here tonight, take a little bit of knowledge."

School and Community Resource Officer Ferlin Desjarlais invited
Sanderson to Ponoka in the first place, and said feedback from the
crowd was encouraging. Many audience members who returned a critique
of the presentation told Desjarlais the two-hour talk could have been
even longer.

Desjarlais says, "I think the people who attended got something out of it."