CRYSTAL METH NOT A LOCAL PROBLEM, AND OFFICIALS AIM TO KEEP IT THAT WAY

The "granddaddy" of highly-addictive illicit drugs, crystal
methamphetamine, may not be endemic here, and that's the way health
and police officials want it to stay.

Det. Sgt. Dan Reive, head of Project Longarm - a drug enforcement arm
that combines several police services, including Belleville - said
the drug is easily and inexpensively made from ingredients available
in the community. More troublingly, it has a 90 per cent failure rate
in addiction recovery and leaves addicts brazenly willing to commit
crimes to feed their habit.

It has caused major headaches for police in western Ontario and has
devastated families, he said.

"There are a lot of people ... who have fallen prey to this drug,"
Reive, a member of the OPP in Kingston, said, adding that so far, it
has not been a major concern here.

The possible infiltration of the drug into this area sparked fears of
its use here and a report on the drug at Friday's health unit board meeting.

Nicole McKinnon, head of the health unit's healthy lifestyles
department, said her investigation found use of the drug has been
thankfully limited here.

"Obviously, that is good news," she told the board.

Reive agreed.

Project Longarm officers have found only small pockets of crystal
meth, he said.

"We've had some seizures of small quantities," Reive said.

The health unit checked into the prevalance of crystal meth after
board member Bev Campbell said she heard reports that it was making
inroads in the Trenton area.

Crystal meth is extremely dangerous because of its highly addictive
properties and its amphetemine-like high. But meth has a darker side,
McKinnon said.

"It's a very powerful stimulant of the central nervous system," she
said. "There are many harmful effects."

They include a quickened heart rate and high blood pressure,
anorexia, psychosis and impulsive violence. A powdery granular
substance, it can be taken by injection, orally or by smoking it in a
pipe like crack cocaine. It provides an intense surge of euphoria and
the user can remain high for up to four hours, McKinnon said.

Because it is inexpensive to make and to buy on the street, it is
popular among homeless youth and youth in the club and rave scenes, she said.

Conversely, use of meth has not risen in other demographics.

"In the general population, it is not a concern," McKinnon said.

Reive said police are always cognizant of the drug and want to make
sure it does not gain popularity here.

The drugs of choice in Hastings and Prince Edward counties continue
to be cocaine and marijuana, he said.

Crystal meth facts

It is a member of the amphetamine drug family and was marketed as a
nasal decongestant in the 1930s. It is still medically available in
the United States as a treatment for obesity, but it is illegal in Canada;

When dependent users stop taking it, they feel an intense craving and
withdrawal symptoms include stomach pain, hunger, depression and tiredness;

It is made in illegal labs with inexpensive - and often toxic or
flammable - over-the-counter ingredients;

In 2005, two per cent of Ontario students in Grades 7 to 12 said they
had used crystal meth in the last 12 months. That had fallen to one
per cent in 2007.

Source: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health