DON'T MESS WITH METH

A CUMBRIAN drug adviser is running awareness courses across the county
to highlight the dangers of a highly addictive new substance, crystal
meth.

The Association of Chief Police Officers has warned that use of the
drug - which is a huge problem in Australia and America - is now
escalating in the UK.

Paul Brown, director of the Cumbria Drug and Alcohol Service (CADAS),
said they have already had reports of its use in parts of the county.

He fears that if people aren't made aware of its effects the problem
will quickly spiral.

Mr Brown said: "In Cumbria we've had one referral from the west coast
and heard of a couple of users in Barrow, but it won't be just one or
two people using it.

"It's difficult to predict what will happen. At one point we thought
there was going to be a crack epidemic but that hasn't happened so
far.

"Generally with a new drug it takes a few years for people to start
seeking help because they think they can handle it at first. All we
can do is try to raise awareness and show people the damage it can
do."

Crystal meth is a form of amphetamine which can be smoked, injected,
snorted or taken in tablet form.

It is easy to manufacture and fairly cheap to buy.

However, it contains around three times more dopamine - the chemical
in the brain which causes pleasure and euphoria - than cocaine.

This makes it super-addictive and, in many cases, people who come off
the drug find they can no longer experience pleasure in everyday life.

Mr Brown said in other countries young women have started taking the
drug to lose weight, but find it destroys muscle tissue as well as
fat.

Regular users will notice their skin losing their elasticity and will
age dramatically in just a few months, while the drug also rots teeth
and causes gum disease.

"In the space of three or four months people can go from pleasant and
respectable-looking individuals to looking absolutely awful. After a
few years they look like old hags," explained Mr Brown.

"You ask yourself whether these people actually look in the mirror but
the drug has such an effect on them that think they look great.

"And once you've experienced those kind of highs it is almost
impossible to go back. Saying that we know of people who have come off
it, but it's a really long hard slog."

He is currently running a series of awareness courses in Cumbria which
look at crystal meth use and its effects.

Detective Inspector Cliff Walker, of Cumbria Police, said they are
also working to prevent crystal meth taking hold across the county.

DI Walker added that they have looked at criminal trends in other
areas where crystal meth has become a problem and are constantly on
the look out for similar signs appearing in parts of Cumbria.