METH ED FALLING SHORT

While we applaud the provincial government's efforts to fund groups
like the Crystal Meth Victoria Society to educate students about the
dangers of crystal methamphetamine, the bottom line is it amounts to
far too little far too late.

Almost two years after the B.C. Liberals promised to address the
growing epidemic of meth use during the last provincial election
campaign, there's still no plans to address the chronic need for more
specialized treatment beds for young people swept away by this
virulent plague.

The fact remains that there are only six youth detox treatment beds on
southern Vancouver Island, with no specialized care for meth addicts,
and no concrete plans to address the shortage.

As former West Shore RCMP Cpl. Brian Kerr notes, when someone caught
up in the web of this most insidious drug finally decides they need
help, telling them they're on a lengthy wait list only amounts to
another missed opportunity that frequently results in another lost
soul crying for help, then returning to addiction.

Without the infrastructure in place to deal with treatment --
specialized centres staffed by counsellors with expertise in that
specific field aimed at reintroducing addicts into the mainstream --
throwing millions at educational programs only dissuades a percentage
of kids from joining the ranks of those whose lives are already ruined.

Considering how cheap, appealing and available meth is for kids
compared to other drugs like heroin and cocaine -- a $10 chunk of
crystal can keep you in a kite-like state for a day -- the time to
start getting treatment centres in place passed about the same time as
the drug first started to surface on the West Shore five years ago.

Within a matter of two years, the drug went from something Kerr's West
Shore RCMP street crime unit encountered occasionally to something
that shows up every day.

Kerr is candid about how often he speaks to parents looking for a way
out for their kids. The list of desperate parents begging for help
continues to grow across the region each day, and their frustration at
no immediate help available is palpable and heartbreaking.

Make no mistake, kids as young as 10 or 11 are getting hooked at an
alarming rate, as evidenced by the fact that meth is now ranked as the
second most popular drug in the world, that increase fuelled in no
small part by the fact that it's so inexpensive.

Although research is so far stunted because meth is a relatively new
phenomenon compared to big brothers heroin and cocaine, according to
reformed addicts, a couple of times is all it takes to get hooked,
with some ranking the risk as high as 90 per cent after the second
try.

Foster parent agencies recently issued a frantic plea for more help
with babies born to meth-addicted mothers, and have initiated
specialized training for prospective parents to deal with the problems
specific to those babies.

The wake-up call has been issued, but the government's response so far
amounts to little more than lip service.

With a $2 billion surplus gathering dust on the shelf, there's an
opportunity for the BC Liberals to wade into the fray and implement a
plan that provides help immediately for those making a last, desperate
effort to fee themselves from the steely grip of addiction.