YELLOWHEAD MP WANTS TO RESTRICT SALE OF CHEMICALS USED TO MAKE METH

EDMONTON - A Conservative MP west of Edmonton is taking aim at crystal meth
labs with a private member's bill that would slap controls on chemicals
used to produce the highly addictive drug.

Yellowhead MP Rob Merrifield, whose federal riding is at the centre of
Alberta's methamphetamine trade, wants to restrict the sale of the three
main chemicals.

"This will give the RCMP another tool in cracking down on meth labs,"
Merrifield said Monday by phone from Ottawa. "One of the problems police
have when they bust a lab is that they don't always find crystal meth
on-site. The chemicals they find for making it are legal so they're unable
to make arrests."

His bill, to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, was introduced
Monday in the House of Commons. It would identify the key chemicals -- red
phosphorus, acetone and hydrotic acid -- as controlled substances that can
be possessed only by permit or in limited amounts. Details would be
contained in regulations.

Merrifield said crystal meth production is difficult to combat because the
chemicals used in making the drug can be bought legally at most hardware or
drug stores. Red phosphorus is used in highway flares, and acetone and
hydrotic acid are used as solvents or in plastic production.

"If we can restrict the amount of these chemicals that a person can
possess, it will give us a foothold in fighting this problem," he said.

West Yellowhead MLA Ivan Strang has introduced a private member's bill in
the Alberta legislature proposing restrictions on the sale of cough syrups
and other pharmaceuticals that can be used to make crystal meth. The
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act is federal legislation while the
Pharmacy and Drug Act is provincial law.

Merrifield said the RCMP have identified the corridor along Highway 16
between Edmonton and Jasper as the main meth production area in the
province. He believes owners of illegal labs chose the area because it is
secluded but close to the large Edmonton market.

"It's an issue of being out of sight and out of mind," he said. "But it is
really hurting the young people in our communities."

Private members' bills seldom become law but sometimes succeed if they
garner enough support from other parties. Merrifield hopes that will be the
case with his bill. "I can't see why anyone wouldn't support it," he said.