PROVINCES PLOT WAR ON CRYSTAL METH

Cold Pills Sale To Be Restricted

REGINA, Sask. - The fight against crystal meth abuse has lead western
provinces and territories to a planned crackdown on the sale of cold
medicine which contains ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, the key
ingredient in the illegal drug.

At a two-day meeting on crystal meth, western ministers and government
officials agreed to come up with a plan by Oct. 1 to put restrictions
on the sale of the cold medicine.

They also agreed to hold a Western Canada clinical conference to
discuss best practices in prevention and treatment. And they called on
the federal government to toughen the laws around crystal meth and put
tighter controls on the chemicals which go into the drug with the
medicinal ingredients.

Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert, who instigated and chaired the
meeting, said the use of the drug is spreading from west to east, and
governments must act before it becomes an epidemic in Canada.

Politicians and civil servants at the meeting heard from officials in
the fields of law enforcement, prevention and treatment as well as
first-hand accounts from recovered crystal meth addicts.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, who attended the
meeting, said his state recently passed a law that restricts the
amount of cold medicine which can be sold to two packets, and forbids
its sale to minors. It also requires that purchasers must provide
government identification and the store must keep a log on who buys
the cold medicine.

A similar law in Oklahoma helped reduce crystal meth use in that state
by about 80 per cent, he said.

Stenehjum said without restrictions on the sale of cold medicines, he
fears Canada may provide an escape valve for U.S. criminals involved
in producing meth.

"All of us fear that unless restrictions here in the western provinces
are passed, we will be exporting a product you don't want very much,
and that is our people who want to buy cold medicines and bring it
back to the States, or even worse, people who will come up here to set
up their meth cooking operations," he said.

Federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Justice Minister Irwin
Cotler sent out a press release Friday saying the government plans to
put tighter licensing controls on chemical ingredients used to make
crystal meth and gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), which is also known as a
"date rape" drug.

The government is also considering changes to the Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act to move crystal meth to a different schedule to allow
for tougher penalties.

A decision is expected in the fall.