METH WATCH PROGRAM STRESSES EDUCATION

Crystal meth is a common problem in our communities and a phenomenon
that should be taken seriously. The Coquitlam community police
station, Coquitlam Rotary, Coquitlam Fire and Rescue, the Tri- Cities
Meth Task Force and the RCMP have combined their efforts to fight the
war on crystal meth.

The Meth Watch program was officially launched in Coquitlam on Nov.
26. The program consists of educating and informing local business
establishments on how they and their staff can contribute to stopping
the production of crystal meth.

The ingredients found in crystal meth are readily available at many
stores and businesses, and therefore other prevention methods must be
put in place to make these ingredients less accessible. The more
steps we, as a community, can take to prevent the production of
methamphetamine, the safer our communities will be.

Education and public awareness are key to preventing illegal drug
use, but it is especially important in this case due to the
seriousness of the drug. Meth is a powerful and highly addictive
stimulant that affects the central nervous system. It is a synthetic
drug produced or sold as pills, capsules or powder that can be
smoked, snorted, injected and swallowed. In most cases, one or two
tries is all you need to be addicted permanently.

Coquitlam businesses have been highly receptive to the Meth Watch
program and have shown an active interest in doing their part to put
an end to the problem of methamphetamine in their city.

"We were approached (by the Coquitlam Community Police Station) and
as I had heard of programs in other cities, I felt it could benefit
our community," Rona manager Tony Cunningham said.

Coquitlam Community Police Station volunteer Perkin Tan says, "The
benefit for businesses having this program is that educated and aware
retail staff will know what to do if they witness suspicious activity
around the sale of precursor meth ingredients. Another added benefit
is that the customers who shop at the businesses will feel safer
knowing that the business is doing an active part to combat meth in
the community."

Many businesses report that when the Meth Watch program is presented
to their employees, they have an eye-opening experience when
confronted with the possible dangers of methamphetamine. Coquitlam
Community Police Station volunteer Laurel Parsons found when she
presented the Meth Watch program to stores, their employees were not
only interested, but amazed at how easy (methamphetamine) was to make and use.

"They were shocked that it is showing up in other street drugs," she said.

"I hope we continue to keep the Meth Watch program in focus and I
sincerely hope it extends into all businesses in Coquitlam so that we
all are aware of this problem," Coquitlam Community Police Station
volunteer Harry Scaife said.

Meth Watch has been successfully implemented across the United States
and Canada and was instituted in Port Coquitlam in 2005. It is a
pro-active strategy aimed at trying to curtail the production of
methamphetamine by going straight to the source.

When asked what he would tell other stores about Meth Watch,
Cunningham said, "That it's a worthwhile program to support."

If employees witness any suspicious behaviour or have any information
pertaining to individuals buying excess amounts of key ingredients,
they should contact the RCMP hotline at 1-800-387-0020.

If your Coquitlam business has not yet been contacted and you would
like to be a part of the Meth Watch program, phone Community Police
Station co-ordinator Nicole Cairns at 604-933-6833. If your business
is located in Port Coquitlam, contact the Port Coquitlam Community
Police Station at 604-927-2383. For more information on the program,
log on to www.methwatch.ca.