PHARMACISTS WILL LAUNCH 'METH WATCH"

Ontario pharmacists expect to go on the offensive this fall in the
fight to prevent the spread of crystal meth in the province.

The Ontario Pharmacists' Association hopes to launch an educational
outreach program in schools in October and begin a "Meth Watch"
program to better monitor the sale of cold medicines used to cook up
the drug.

"This is an issue that is not going to go away," said association
vice-president Donnie Edwards of Boggio Pharmacy in Port Colborne. "It
is only a matter of time before we see a real growth in crystal
methamphetamine use in Ontario. So education and prevention are our
best tools at this point."

Crystal meth, a drug that has swept through the United States and
western Canada, has been on the agendas of pharmacists' organizations,
law enforcement agencies and public health organization in Ontario for
months.

Queen's Park has formed a special crystal meth task force in an
attempt to combat the spread of the drug in Ontario.

"They are going to talk to experts who will be able to provide the
necessary advice to come up with recommendations," said St. Catharines
MPP Jim Bradley.

He said one of the issues the task force is bound to face is the
accessibility of pseudeophedrine, a chemical used as a decongestant in
many cold and allergy medications.

Pseudeophedrine is a critical chemical needed to produce crystal meth.
Other chemicals are derived from solvents, battery acids and paint
thinners, but without pseudeophedrine, the drug cannot be
manufactured.

In Toronto on Thursday, Health Minister George Smitherman was quick to
note that requiring a prescription for common over-the-counter
medications such as Sudafed, Actifed and Contac is just one of many
ideas that will be on the table as Canada's most populous province
wrestles with the growing national scourge of crystal meth.

"This is one of the very many ideas that's out there and warrants
appropriate consideration," Smitherman said.

"We need to look in those jurisdictions that have taken that step (to
see) whether it's proven to be effective."

But David Skinner, president of the Nonprescription Drug Manufacturers
Association of Canada, said: "Cold medications are not the problem;
criminals and methamphetamine are the problem."

"The issue has nothing to do with the millions of Canadians who
legitimately use cold medication to treat their symptoms instead of
going to their doctors to seek a prescription," Skinner added.

Edwards said pharmacists are aware of the importance of
pseudeophedrine to meth makers and that is why steps are being taken
to better control its sale.

"We are going to adopt a program similar to what they call Meth Watch
out west," Edwards said.

The program would allow pharmacists to better monitor the sale of
remedies that use pseudeophedrine.

In many pharmacies, these medications are on shelves directly in front
of the main dispensary, he said. But the meth watch program will make
that practice universal.

It will also create a reporting mechanism for pharmacists who observe
unusual purchases of cold and allergy medications.

"Monitoring that isn't that difficult, at least not in an environment
our size," said Thorold pharmacist John Henderson. "We would notice
something unusual pretty quickly."

Henderson said in smaller operations such as his Front Street shop,
someone buying unusually large amounts of cold medicine would be noticed.

Even without a formal reporting system in place, he said pharmacies
can step in. "We can refuse to sell -- plain and simple," he said.

Niagara Regional Police Acting Chief Donna Moody said from a policing
perspective, reducing access to pseudeophedrine is critical.

"Any substance that can be used to create another illegal drug should
be controlled or regulated," she said. "We need to start that process
now because sooner or later we are going to see an increase in the
number of clandestine labs."

Moody, who sits on the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police
committee on substance abuse, said placing cold medications behind the
counter might be the place to start.

However, Edwards said pseudeophedrine is so widely used, and is so
effective, that clamping down too tightly may just be impractical.

"That might change because many drug manufacturers are talking about
reworking their products to replace pseudeophedrine with another
decongestant."

Monitoring pseudeophedrine is only part of the battle, Edwards said.
So in October, the association wants to begin an outreach program in
Ontario schools to warn of the dangers of crystal meth.

"Prevention is particularly important. This is a very addictive and
very dangerous drug," he said. "There are no recovery programs for
crystal meth users like there are for heroin addicts. So talking to
students now is vital."

Edwards said the association is hoping the provincial government will
support the educational program as a way to combat crystal meth.

Dr. Robin Williams, Niagara's medical officer of health, said a
made-in-Niagara response to crystal meth is only in its beginning
stages. She said there have been early discussions among the health
department, mental-health organizations and the police.

While meth is in Niagara, it has not become a commonplace street drug
yet.

"The big drugs in Niagara, from our perspective, are still alcohol and
marijuana," Williams said. "But you have to keep in mind there is a
lag between what is going on the street and data collection."

NRP officers are finding the drug on the streets, although they have
not reported any large busts.