PRICE OF CRYSTAL METH GOING UP

SASKATOON -- The price of a highly addictive illegal street drug has
jumped in Saskatoon since Christmas prompting police to wonder why.

"There are so many variables," said Sgt. Jerome Engele of the
Saskatoon integrated drug unit.

"For us to know why, it's hard to tell, but we do know for sure the
price is up."

Before Christmas, the price of one point of methamphetamine, also
known as crystal meth, was $10. It's now $25 per point or 0.1 of a gram.

Engele would like to think that the arrest of two people in separate
incidents in December has reduced the supply of the drug in the city.

The individuals remain in custody and are facing charges of
possession for the purpose of trafficking.

"We feel they're dealers. They had an amount that a normal person
wouldn't use," said Engele.

Another reason for the spike in price could be more strategic, he
says. When crystal meth first surfaced in Saskatoon, it sold for $20
per point. The price then dropped to $10 before jumping up to $25 per
point. Saskatoon dealers might be thinking that they have a large
core group of users in the city who became hooked on the drug at the
lower price. Now that they are addicted, they are willing to pay
whatever the price to get their fix, says Engele.

In 2001, Saskatoon police laid four charges related to crystal meth.
The next year, the number of charges went up to nine. In 2003, five
times as many charges were laid for a total of 47. In 2004, the
increase was four-fold to 167. And in the first four months of 2005,
58 charges were laid.

Engele doesn't know if the number of crystal meth addicts in
Saskatoon has levelled off in recent months, but he knows it's not decreasing.

"I'm reading files every day that have crystal meth in them," he said.

The higher price for crystal meth will push addicts to do whatever
they need to in order to get money to buy the drug, says a woman who
has a family member that has undergone addictions treatment.

"It will just make them need more money to purchase it but it might
deter somebody from trying it for the first time if they don't have
$25. It's a double-edged sword," said Nancy Kushnir, an executive
member with Families Against Meth.

While addicts initially might use only one point a day, they
eventually build up a resistance to the drug and need more and more
of it to satisfy their cravings, she says.