'IT'S NOT SOME KIND OF DRUG YOU CAN JUST TRY'

Crystal Meth: Its Popularity Persists Despite The Dangers

It may contain brake fluid and hydrochloric acid, but at $5 a hit for
a high that lasts for hours, crystal meth is increasingly the drug of
choice.

It's that rock-bottom price, combined with meth's profound effects on
the brain, that has 250 experts at the Western Summit on
Methamphetamine meeting in Vancouver tomorrow to search for answers.

"In Western Canada, we are seeing an increasing trend toward the use
of synthetic drugs such as crystal meth," says summit chairwoman and
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority manager Jennifer Vornbrock, "not
only among at-risk youth, but across all backgrounds."

Like the amphetamines that have long been used in the military and the
pressured professions to stave off sleep and suppress appetite, a
"run" of crystal meth can keep people awake for a week, make users
more sociable and heighten sexual pleasure. Unfortunately, by week's
end, paranoia and violent urges can result. And then there's the brain
damage.

"This not some kind of drug you can just try," warns Jane Buxton, a
B.C. Centre for Disease Control epidemiologist and University of B.C.
associate professor who is part of a Canada-wide surveillance system
of drug abuse.

"This is highly addictive."

Vornbrock lists just some of the mix found in a crystal-meth chemical
stew: the cold medicine pseudo-ephedrine, nail polish remover, red
phosphorus (used in fireworks and matches), hydrochloric acid, brake
fluid, pesticides, lighter fluid and driveway cleaner. With the
ingredients easily purchased and meth recipes available on the
Internet, police are finding meth labs, big and small, popping up everywhere.

As for who uses crystal meth, Buxton says high-school-age use has
remained steady at three to five per cent for five years, although a
survey of downtown Vancouver street youth found a 70-per-cent use
rate. Meth is also now a staple of the gay/rave club scene.

"We need to find out why people are taking crystal meth," Buxton says,
adding that solutions must go beyond traditional "drug-treatment" offerings.

Dr. Ian Martin works at a clinic for street youth in downtown
Vancouver with meth, heroin and cocaine users.

"A single dose of crystal meth can last 12 to 14 hours," says Martin.
"But in terms of toxicity, it is more toxic than cocaine. It causes
more significant changes in the brain."

It also causes schizophrenia, heart attacks, strokes, tooth decay,
memory loss and kidney problems, he says.

WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT DOES

* Crystal methamphetamine is used to stay awake, suppress appetite,
get high and increase sexual pleasure. It is made of mostly
over-the-counter products like lighter fluid, pesticides, driveway
cleaner, red phosphorus, drain cleaner and brake fluid. It is either
ingested or smoked and comes in rock salt-like form. Cost is $5 a hit
for a high of a few hours. The energy rush can last 12 to 14 hours.

* Popular with street youth to stay awake and protect their belongings
and in the gay/rave party and club scene.

* Highly addictive, it can cause brain and kidney damage, heart
attacks, stroke, violent paranoia and schizophrenia.