WINNIPEG STREETS FEELING THE STING OF CRACK COCAINE

Highly addictive form of coke now as popular as marijuana

POLICE say there has never been more crack cocaine on the streets of
Winnipeg.

"Four years ago, marijuana was the main drug of choice," said Det. Sgt. Bill
Stewart of Winnipeg Police Services' Drug Unit.

"It was about a 65-45 split (marijuana over cocaine). Now it's 50-50. There
are no particular neighbourhoods to single out because there are just no
social boundaries with this drug. If you're rich, you can get it easily. If
you're not, you rob to get the money. Women turn to prostitution, kids do
break-ins."

And the purer, more addictive form of cocaine has become not only more
popular in Winnipeg, but easier to find.

"(The dealers) bring it to your door now," said Stewart. "You're given a
pager number, you call and if they don't like your number (on their
telephone display) or your story, they won't deal."

Heightened popularity of crack cocaine has led to an increase in seizures of
the drug. But since Winnipeg is considered a final destination where drugs
will be consumed, police know they won't be dealing with kingpins and kilos.

It is sold in weights of quarter-gram ($40), half-gram, gram, eight ball
(3.5 grams), quarter-ounce, half-ounce and ounce ($2000).

Occasionally the Drug Unit will target street-level dealers but their
primary focus is the importers.

"Guys dealing on the street come and go. If we can eliminate the importer,
the guy who brings it in, it impacts significantly on an organization."

To date the largest single seizure has been 22 one-ounce packages of crack
cocaine -- with a street value of $61,000 -- from a female courier who got
off a bus travelling from the east. That confiscation, however, did not
significantly dent the trade: The crack cocaine keeps coming.

And for counsellors, so do the addicts.

"The growing prevalence is that cocaine is the drug of choice in our client
group," said Dave Kennedy, a resource officer with the Addictions Foundation
of Manitoba. "We're seeing more of both self-referrals and those who are
referred to us from other sources."

According to Kennedy, crack cocaine addicts seeking help are distinct from
most other drug users who walk through Foundation doors.

"There is the perception that (regular, powder) cocaine user is one thing
but the crack user has crossed the line and they are further into it than
recreational use," he said. "Possibly because of the extreme circumstances
surrounding the drug, the client expects extreme responses. Counsellors find
(the crack cocaine users) seem to have less tolerance andless patience
working with the process. They want results to happen very quickly. And it
usually doesn't."

Winnipeg police have the benefit of tracking other cities to anticipate drug
behaviour in their community.

"Winnipeg is a conservative town and usually a year behind (larger Canadian
cities such as) Toronto," said Stewart. "Whatever drug trend is there ends
up here."