NEW RULE RESTRICTS METH LAB CHEMICAL

Pharmacies To Put Products Behind Counter

The provincial government moved Thursday to fight the spread of
methamphetamine by forcing pharmacies to place the drug's key ingredient
behind the counter.

The new rule, which takes effect immediately, places 17 non-prescription
decongestants under the supervision of pharmacists and is designed to
prevent criminals from buying large quantities for making crystal meth.

"This is by no means going to solve the problem in its entirety, but
anything we can be doing to cut down on the production of crystal meth, we
should," said Dale Cooney, deputy registrar of the Alberta College of
Pharmacists.

Meth is a highly addictive stimulant that can be made using household
chemicals and solvents to extract pseudoephedrine or ephedrine from
over-the-counter decongestants.

The regulation applies to "single-entity" products, which have
pseudoephedrine as the main active ingredient. Products with lower amounts
will remain readily available on the shelves.

Police and agencies that deal with addicts have documented growing crystal
meth use and production throughout Western Canada, prompting provincial
governments to look for ways to prevent its spread. B.C. is considering a
move similar to Alberta's.

The Alberta government recently formed a task force on meth headed by
Premier Ralph Klein's wife, Colleen, and has increased the number of
treatment beds available to addicts.

"I don't think any other province has the level of interest that our
premier has shown," Alberta Health spokesman Howard May said following
Thursday's announcement.

In 2004, the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission treated
approximately 3,600 patients who reported addiction to methamphetamine or
other stimulant drugs.

At the same time, police have encountered growing evidence the drug is
being made here, including the discovery last February of more than 10
kilograms of meth at a "superlab" on an acreage near Cremona, 55 kilometres
north of Calgary.

"Anything that's going to put a dent in the crystal meth scene will be
welcomed with open arms in the policing community," said Cpl. Al Fraser, an
RCMP spokesman at K Division headquarters in Edmonton.

While Alberta's new regulation will help cut the supply of pseudoephedrine
being used by "mom and pop" meth cooks, the illegal diversion of bulk
quantities is also a significant problem.

In September 2004, police raided an auto restoration business in Hanna, 200
kilometres northeast of Calgary, and found 50 kilograms of powdered ephedrine.

Police allege the Hanna business was part of a cross-border smuggling
network that diverted more than 9,000 kilograms of legally obtained
ephedrine into meth production.

Health Canada has tried to combat the problem by enacting regulations
requiring a licence to import or export methamphetamine precursors such as
pseudoephedrine and ephedrine.

However, an amendment making it illegal to possess them in bulk without a
licence has yet to take effect.

Crystal meth is already entrenched in the western United States, where
police have encountered an explosive increase in clandestine labs in homes
and a jump in crimes -- particularly identity theft -- fuelled by users
after money to feed their addictions.

Increased vigilance by retailers and a Washington state law similar to
Alberta's new regulation has helped choke off the amount of pseudoephedrine
being diverted to meth production in Spokane County, where police have
found less than 20 labs this year -- a dramatic drop from a high of 190 in
2002.

"You're going in the right direction," said Selby Smith, a U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration agent based in Spokane.

The problem that remains in many U.S. jurisdictions like Spokane County is
that meth use remains as high as ever, and the supply now comes from
criminal gangs in Mexico that smuggle the drug over the border.

In this province, the Alberta College of Pharmacists began its own efforts
to curb the use of pseudoephedrine for meth production in 2004 with the
introduction of a voluntary program asking members to move single-entity
products behind the counter.

But a recent Calgary Herald investigation of local pharmacies illustrated
many either weren't participating or had mistakenly left one or more
products on the shelf.

Of 20 retailers sampled last month, only eight were fully compliant with
the voluntary program.

"The voluntary program certainly raised the awareness of pharmacists. . .
and made them keep a keener eye on what was being purchased," Cooney said.