METH PROBLEM BECOMES HOT TOPIC

Drug Should Be Classified 'As Absolutely The Worst' Because Of Its Damaging
And Addictive Components

LLOYDMINSTER - The federal government should make jail sentences for
dealing methamphetamines as harsh as they are for cocaine and heroin, to
stop the addictive drug from destroying more lives, the premiers of the
western provinces and territories said Thursday.

Alberta Deputy Premier Shirley McClellan also joined the other leaders in
demanding Ottawa control sales of the chemicals used to make meth, and
signalled that her province will do the same later this year.

"Our youth are in really quite grave danger" from this drug, said
McClellan, filling in for an ill Premier Ralph Klein at the Western
Premiers' Conference, "because it doesn't seem to be perceived publicly as
such a serious drug and addiction, where in fact it should be classed as
absolutely the worst."

Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert will host a national gathering next
month of provincial health, justice and public safety ministers to develop
cross-provincial strategies to prevent meth's use, block its spread, and
treat those afflicted by the drug.

Meth wasn't supposed to be on the conference agenda, but it became a top
item after what McClellan described as an "intense" closed-doors debate
between the premiers.

"We feel an absolute responsibility to send a strong message to all
Canadians that trafficking in these materials, with their damage to people
and their addictive components, must have at minimum a sentence equal to
trafficking cocaine," Manitoba Premier Gary Doer said.

"And we are all committed to taking leadership to protect our vulnerable
and our citizens from these kinds of abuses."

The courts conventionally slap cocaine or heroin dealers with sentences
twice or three times as long as meth dealers.

Meth has become an increasingly popular drug in the past decade, both in
rural and urban areas. Users are lured by the fact it is cheap, easy to
produce, and produces a prolonged and extreme high. It can also cause brain
damage.

Because it is so addictive, the drug has become a growing scourge
throughout most of North America.

Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta have all taken
measures against meth, including increased treatment services.

West Yellowhead MLA Ivan Strang has tabled a private member's bill that
would see the province limit the sale of cough syrup and other
pharmaceuticals that are ingredients to produce meth.

'SNIFFING' METH

Technology developed to detect natural gas leaks from pipelines could be
modified to find methamphetamine labs, which would be a huge advance in
efforts to crack down on the highly addictive drug, Solicitor General
Harvey Cenaiko said Thursday.

Cenaiko, a former Calgary police officer, said the technology is still in
its infancy and might prove ineffective.

Meth is generally manufactured in small, temporary labs. Experts say the
process is relatively "dirty" and emits many detectable gases and leaves
behind residue. If the "sniffers" can be reprogrammed to detect the
combination of chemical compounds that would identify a meth lab, Cenaiko
said, police would be able to sweep large areas and then quickly zero in on
illicit labs.