THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT DRUGS

Students Shocked at Seeing Devastating Physical Effects Of
Meth

A group of local students stared at the face of drugs during a
presentation Monday.

They didn't like what they saw.

"It makes me sick. I'm seriously sick to my stomach," said Grade 10
Chatham-Kent Secondary School student Ashley Brink.

"The pictures of how pretty they were and how ugly they became - I
almost barfed."

The students watched a presentation called The Faces of Meth,
delivered by OPP Const. Aaron McPhail. Chatham Coun. Marjorie Crew,
of East Side Pride, also spoke during the class. She told the
students about the impacts of drugs on the community.

During his presentation, McPhail showed students pictures of people
before and after methamphetamine addictions.

Some of the photos showed people after a few months of use and others
of addicts after using the drug for up to five years.

All of the pictures showed the harsh reality of drugs. The startling
physical changes methamphetamine use can have on a person drew
shocked gasps from some of the students.

Open sores, rotten teeth, sunken cheeks and rapid aging are just a
few of the known side effects of using the street drug, commonly
known as meth, speed, ice and crystal.

Michelle Waucaush called the presentation eye-opening.

"It gave deep insight of what it can do to you," she said. "It's bad,
I can't understand why people do it."

McPhail said the school invited him to speak as part of the health
curriculum. He told the students meth use started in rural towns and
the west coast. However, he said use has erupted in the U.S. and Canada.

Local statistics on the use of meth weren't available.

Crew said while the drug isn't a major problem on Chatham's east
side, it worries her.

"It has the potential to be a big problem," she said. "It's cheap and
they can stay high longer."

Crew said she's heard about meth being seized during local drug busts
but isn't aware of the extent of the problem in this community.

McPhail said meth addicts experience rapid heart rates, increased
blood pressure, damage to vessels in the brain and inflammation of
the lining of the heart.

He said you only have to try it once to become addicted.

"If you use it, be prepared to get hooked," he told the students.

McPhail said some of the ingredients found in meth include drain
cleaner, battery acid, lithium and acetone.

Crew said the ESP program C.R.A.C.K. - Citizens Raising Awareness in
Chatham-Kent - is aimed at informing the public about the dangers of drug use.

"The effects that drugs have on a community can tear a neighbourhood
apart," she said.

She urged the students to be informed and take care in the choices they make.

"No one plans to be a drug addict or a junky, but you're only one bad
choice away," Crew said.