GOV'T PASSES ON SPECIFIC STRATEGY

The NDP government has no plans to implement a specific strategy dealing
with crystal methamphetamine.

Learning Minister Andrew Thomson brushed off a demand by the Saskatchewan
Party on Wednesday that the government follow the lead of Alberta and B.C.
in developing an interdepartmental provincial strategy to combat the
highly-addictive drug.

"Our approach remains the same. Obviously we're concerned about crystal meth
and other designer drugs but we're also concerned about the wide range of
intoxicants that youth are involving themselves with," he told reporters at
the legislature.

Thomson said crystal meth use is not as prevalent in Saskatchewan as it is
in the provinces to the west and the government should not pull resources
from fighting other problems such as alcohol and solvent abuse.

"I appreciate that many groups are saying we need to focus on this. That is
one of the issues we need to deal with. But let's not fall into this trap
that the Opposition tried to lead us into two years ago around Ecstasy
abuse, saying that the raves and the modern music were driving young people
to drug use. It was ridiculous," said Thomson.

Saskatchewan Party MLA June Draude, who recently attended a conference in
Alberta which focused on the drug, said the government should be getting
ahead of the crystal meth issue precisely before it becomes as big a problem
as in other provinces.

"It's time the NDP realized the seriousness of this issue," she said. "We
have an opportunity here to be proactive, to tell young people the dangers
of it and not just them but the community."

Methamphetamine is made in illegal labs by cooking up various chemicals and
pharmaceuticals.

Thomson said restrictions on pharmacies selling large quantities of the
ingredients used for crystal meth are "a reasonable approach."

Crystal meth has been added to the list of drugs that are discussed in
schools as part of the province's anti-drug strategy, he added.