METH DETOX BEDS URGED

Task Force Co-Chaired By Premier's Wife Reports Today

Alberta is facing a critical shortage of detox beds for a growing
number of young people hooked on highly addictive crystal meth, says a
task force report leaked to The Canadian Press.

The report, which will be officially released today, calls for 100
more detox beds and 200 more treatment beds in rural and urban
communities across Alberta.

"The task force consistently heard there simply are not enough
resources, facilities, trained people and support for individuals and
their families when they're faced with serious problems with
addictions," says the report.

The 83 recommendations also include a call for a 50 % increase in
after-care facilities to help recovering meth addicts to get back to a
normal life.

"The healing of crystal meth (addicts) is much more complex than any
other drug we've ever had to deal with," says Colleen Klein, co-chair
of the study group appointed a year ago by her husband, Premier Ralph
Klein.

"Every single person in Alberta has to be able to have access (to
treatment programs) and at this time, I don't believe that they do."

The report also recommends that a fund be created to pool government
money to pay for a wide range of measures aimed at reducing the number
of addicts. But there are no cost estimates in the report.

Colleen Klein concedes there's no question that the total cost will
run into the millions of dollars.

But she says it wasn't the role of the task force to set
budgets.

"I'm sure it will be very costly. But it will money well spent," she
says.

"Not just for crystal meth, but for the next drug that comes
along."

One of the first actions by government should be to set up an
implementation team to control the new crystal meth fund and to carry
through with the 83 recommendations, says the report.

There's also a call for more school addiction counsellors, a
provincewide advertising campaign, closing shops that sell drug
paraphernalia, and more specialized police units.

Crystal meth is made by mixing a cocktail of pseudoephedrine with
about a dozen other substances, which can include paint thinner and
Drano.