METH STRATEGY TARGETS LEGAL RIGHTS

Recommendations Of Alberta Task Force Include Putting The Onus Of
Proof On Suspects

EDMONTON - One of the 83 recommendations included in the report
released Tuesday by Alberta's crystal meth task force would reverse a
fundamental principle of the Canadian justice system.

A proposal to make meth producers guilty until they prove themselves
innocent has already drawn the ire of Justice Minister Ron Stevens.

"My own view is that the presumption of innocence has worked very,
very well," Stevens said. "It has been pretty much a standard in
criminal law and I just don't see (a change) being supported."

The committee recommends asking the federal government to change the
Criminal Code so that anyone found with large quantities of materials
used to make meth would be presumed guilty, unless they could prove otherwise.

Stevens said he supports many of the committee's other
recommendations, but can't see why meth production should be treated
differently than any other serious crime.

"This particular matter is perhaps no more unique than many other
aspects of criminal law. If you could argue it here, you could argue
it many other places," he said.

The task force, headed by Premier Ralph Klein's wife, Colleen,
visited 12 communities, held 25 meetings and spoke with 645 people to
draft a report.

Their recommendations fall into the categories of prevention, healing
and treatment, and getting tough.

The task force wants to see 300 new treatment beds across the
province, as well as better outreach programs for teens and street
youths and special community drug courts to deal with addicts.

Cam Wild, a professor at the U of A's school of public health,
praised the task force's work. Wild, who specializes in addictions,
said the report should be seen as a provincewide strategy for dealing
with addictions of all kinds.

"Many if not most of the recommendations could be used in other areas."

The recommended steps would be costly. Health Minister Iris Evans
confirmed the 300 new beds would cost roughly $100,000 each -- a
total of $30 million, likely phased in over several years.

"What's the alternative if you want to get rid of crystal meth? I
think we've got a real responsibility to act on (the report)."

The minister says government departments will prepare cost estimates
and present the information as part of the province's budget deliberations.

But Evans also conceded the final decision will rest with Klein's successor.

Colleen Klein said she and the other task force members will continue
to push for action on the recommendations, whoever the new premier is.

"It's not just the premier that was concerned about this subject,"
she said. "There are many dedicated people now who are aware (of this
problem) and I don't think they are going to allow any dust to collect."

Another controversial recommendation would ask all municipalities to
ban the sale of all drug paraphernalia to stop sending conflicting
messages to young people about drug use.

But at least one hemp store owner recoiled at the idea that he might
be contributing to the crystal meth problem.

"We don't carry anything for the use of meth," said Ryan Dimock, a
manager at Two Guys with Pipes, a hemp store in West Edmonton Mall.

Dimock dismissed the idea that marijuana is a gateway drug and said
the recommendation about parapyhernalia was made by "narrow-minded
people who think that everything is evil."

Crystal methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug made from a brew
of the cold medicine pseudoephedrine and about 15 other noxious
chemicals. Its prevalence is thought to be increasing, particularly
among young people, but the task force said it has no numbers for how
many people in the province are using the drug. Surveys by the
Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission suggest about one per cent
of high school students have tried it.

Jessica Claridge, 18, a former addict who attended the news
conference, says stiffer sentences are needed for the people who cook
the drug in crude labs, using mostly household chemicals and cold remedies.

"Crystal meth destroys families and destroys homes," said Claridge,
who has been off the drug for two years.

The task force also calls for:

- - Better recreational and cultural opportunities for youth;

- - Mentorship and outreach programs for at-risk youth;

- - Expansion of police canine programs in schools;

- - Use of "drug undercover street teams" in seven regions of the
province to take down criminal drug rings;

- - Creation of a full-time emergency response team to support entry on
drug-related warrants;

- - Asking the federal government to make it more difficult to obtain
ingredients to make meth.

More information on the task force and its recommendations can be
found at: www.stopmeth.alberta.ca

CRYSTAL METH

Full name: Crystal Methamphetamine. Also called jib, crank, meth,
crystal, ice, speed.

It's an artificial stimulant closely related to amphetamines, and is
commonly used in the club and rave scene because of the high-energy
rush it produces.

Crystal meth is often distributed as a capsule, powder, or in chunks
resembling pieces of ice. Using it in conjunction with other drugs,
including alcohol, greatly increases the risk of overdose and death.
Boosting (taking more while already high) is even riskier. It is
highly addictive, produces extreme cravings, and can have very
negative effects.

Long-term effects include problems with thinking, memory, and movement.

Other effects: small doses can make you feel alert and energetic;
acne-like sores; racing heart beat, high blood pressure, chest pain,
heart failure, death; death to blood vessels in the brain or stroke;
sleeping problems, exhaustion, restlessness; confusion, paranoia, irritability.

Source: ADAAC