CRYSTAL METH 'DRUG OF CHOICE' IN VICTORIA

Victoria RCMP officers say they're seeing an increase in methamphetamine
use. The drug is known on the street as speed, crystal, ice, meth, crank,
tweak, go-fast and crystal meth.

Crystal meth is highly addictive, extremely destructive, and seems to be
well on its way to becoming Victoria's drug of choice.

Use of the drug has tripled in the last five years, said RCMP Cpl. Pete
Zubersky, with the Vancouver Island district RCMP.

"And I think it's going to take off even more."

This highly addictive synthetic drug is cooked in makeshift labs and sold on
the street, usually as a powder, that is injected, snorted or swallowed. A
smokable form of methamphetamine, called "ice", is also used.

"The price makes it popular," said Zubersky, "To some, it's almost like the
poor man's cocaine."

It's a large problem in the Port Angeles, Wash. area.

"There's been an increase here for years, and it seems to be catching up on
your side of the pond," said Port Angeles Det.-Sgt. Erick Zappey.

About 90 per cent of drug arrests in Port Angeles are
methamphetamine-related, Zappey said.

"You guys are at about where we were at eight years ago, at the beginning of
the problem."

It's not necessarily a matter of the drug being smuggled over the border,
Zappey said, because there's no need for that. That's part of the problem,
and another reason for methamphetamine's popularity.

"You don't have to smuggle it, like cocaine. People make it in their kitchen
or basement."

The recipe can be downloaded off the Internet and made with ingredients
available at the grocery store.

"These people producing it are not chemists. I'd be surprised if the people
doing it even have Grade 10 chemistry and they're mixing volatile chemicals
in their basement," said Saanich police Const. Dan Mayo.

High school students still gravitate toward ecstasy and other designer
drugs, said Mayo.

But ecstasy is often laced with methamphetamines now, introducing younger
people to the drug.

"That can cause considerable problems," Mayo said. "The potential for
addiction is very high."

Methamphetamine was called "speed" in the 1970s, but is now usually known as
"crystal." Despite the more palatable name, the dangers are the same, say
police.

People don't realize it's one of the most addictive drugs available,
Zubersky said.

"The tolerance for it builds right away, and it doesn't take long to become
addicted."

The potential for violence is also high, as users artificially stimulate
their nervous systems to the point they may not eat or sleep for days.

"You're pumped up, a bit paranoid and your senses are alerted. We see a lot
of violence with users," Zubersky said.

Users know no socio-economic, gender or age boundaries. Zubersky has spoken
to college students who say they don't do drugs, but they use
methamphetamines when studying or cramming. And it's becoming more and more
popular in the club scene.

"It's not just the guy downtown on a street corner that is using it,"
Zubersky said.

Because it's made in kitchens or basements, the quality varies tremendously,
said Zappey, who has seen many overdoses in Port Angeles.

"There's no set quality to it. One day, a person might take a certain amount
of it, and try that amount again the next day. But it's a new batch and much
more potent. That person overdoses."

Enforcement can be difficult. Unlike marijuana grow operations where soaring
hydro bills and a telltale smell can tip off police, methamphetamine labs
are harder to find. Once found, they can be very dangerous for officers not
trained as chemists.

Methamphetamines can cause a variety of health problems. They are linked to
irregular heart beats, high blood pressure and irreversible blood vessel
damage in the brain that can lead to strokes.

Overdoses result in extremely high body temperature and convulsions.