MADNESS

People who grew up hearing propaganda about drugs along the lines of
Reefer Madness may take current warnings about methamphetamine with a
grain of salt.

But when adding up the effects of this drug in particular, and drugs
in general, on our community, it's apparent that if anything, the
situation is understated.

In two successive editions of The Tri-City News, we read of a
householder being beaten by three masked men who stole some of his
pot plants (in addition to his injuries, the grower also faces
charges for cultivation and trafficking) and that, in one month,
Coquitlam RCMP received 341 complaints of thefts from vehicles,
crimes likely committed by addicts looking for enough loonies to pay
for a fix. Those are the reported break-ins; a lot of people don't
bother with the paperwork and pay $300 or more to replace smashed windows.

The most disturbing information is from a provincial government
survey that states that 8% of students in Grades 6 to 12 had used meth.

Students in Grade 6 are usually 11 or 12 years old, and they are
ingesting substances that could include traces of battery acid, lye
and antifreeze. Even a brief fling with meth can have dire consequences.

The drug can induce behaviours that mimic the most debilitating of
psychiatric illnesses, including dramatic mood swings, compulsive
behaviour and a loss of impulse control that can be truly dangerous
to the drug user and anyone within reach of his or her rage.

It can be fatal and it can cause irreparable damage to users' brains
and nervous systems. As well, manufacturing meth and growing
marijuana brings with it the risk of explosion and fire, and opens
the door to violence and death in our community.

We are all affected by drug use and should be educated about it and
its effect on people and the community. That way, we can support and
direct the police and fire departments, which are now our front-line
troops keeping us safe from the consequences of drugs.