METH WARNING ISSUED

CKSS Students Hear Of Drug Use Horror

The first hit of meth you take won't be your last.

That was the message Grade 10 students at Chatham-Kent Secondary
School heard Monday during a presentation on the drug which is
increasing in use across North America.

OPP Const. Aaron McPhail and East Side Pride founder Marjorie Crew
both told students that methamphetamine is a highly-addictive drug
which hooks first-time users and can have lasting -- and sometimes
fatal -- consequences.

Students said they were shocked by the graphic photos used, both in
McPhail's presentation and on brochures handed out by Crew, to show
the physical effects of the drug use.

From open sores on the body, to sunken faces, rapid aging and rotting
teeth, the effects of meth are devastating and can completely alter a
person's appearance in a matter of months.

Physical changes

Crew said apart from the physical changes, users lose all interest in
their appearance, wearing the same clothes every day and completely
ignoring personal hygiene.

Once all their own money is used up on the drug, they begin stealing
from family and others to buy more. When that is no longer an option,
Crew said some women are forced to sell off their most precious
possession, turning to prostitution to ensure a steady flow of drugs.

"A lot of the kids I see on the streets probably sat in the same
chairs you're sitting in," Crew told the students. "They didn't plan
to become addicted."

Crew said addiction knows no social or economic boundaries and can
affect anyone.

"You're only one choice away," she said.

McPhail said meth is not a new drug. In fact, it's been around for a
long time and was previously known as speed.

While he said it's difficult to know exactly how prevalent the drug is
in Chatham-Kent, McPhail said the use of various drugs is cyclical,
and "meth is becoming more prominent in use."

While drugs like ecstasy, marijuana and crack tend to be more prolific
locally, McPhail said meth is a major concern because it can be
produced locally.

However, he cautioned that labs are "very volatile and they can be
explosive."

In addition, for each pound of meth manufactured, four to five pounds
of toxic waste are created. That waste can end up in area ditches or
anywhere else in the community, posing a very real threat to anyone
who comes across it.

McPhail cautioned anyone finding suspicious material to contact police
immediately.

Made up of a host of toxic substances, including drain cleaner, lye
and battery acid, meth can wreak havoc on a person's nervous system,
boost heart rate to potentially fatal levels and increase blood
pressure to the point that a stroke can occur.

It can also lead to violent psychosis that can re-occur for months or
years after an individual stops using it, which in itself is far from
an easy process.

"Meth is very addictive," said McPhail. "Use it once and you're
hooked."

He said users quickly develop a tolerance for the drug and find they
need progressively larger amounts to get high, which can lead to a
fatal overdose.

While some meth labs are set up in homes, some people are now cooking
it in the trunks of cars or trucks, essentially creating mobile labs.

"I can't imagine putting something in my body produced by somebody I
don't know with all those (toxins) in it," said McPhail.

However, many people aren't that cautious. Statistics show that 12
million Americans have tried meth and 1.5 million are regular users.

"Meth addicts are pouring into recovery centres and prisons at an
increasing rate," said McPhail, adding that "a new generation of meth
babies is choking the foster care system in some states."

McPhail said he's glad to see schools like CKSS being pro-active and
getting the information out to students.

Crew agreed, adding that every fact given to students gives them one
more piece of ammunition in the war against drugs.

Following the presentation, student Sophia Roth said she and her
friends had learned a few things.

She called the presentation "really informative." Seeing the
photograph of rotting teeth in a brochure was "a real eye-opener," she
said.

Emily Simmons agreed, and said she hadn't realized the ingredients
which make up meth are so toxic.