STUDENTS SEE WHY METH IS A KILLER

The images were shocking--skinny wasted bodies covered in scabs and
rotten teeth combined with the grotesque movements and tortured
reckonings of the living damned.

But the images from the film Death by Jib were effective in getting
through to students at Lake Trail Senior Thursday (Nov. 20), students
who couldn't seem to get their questions out fast enough after the
presentation, given by the Victoria-based Crystal Meth Society of B.C.
(CMBC), was over.

The message? Crystal meth kills.

"What have you got in your life now that has value?" asked Mark
McLaughlin, CMBC president. "What have you got in your life that you
don't want to lose--mom and dad, brother and sister, sports team,
hopes, dreams, goals?

"Crystal meth can reach in and take all of that away from you. Crystal
meth robs people of everything that they have."

McLaughlin and his wife became reluctant experts on the subject of
methamphetamine, also known as ice, crystal, crank, tina or jibb, when
their daughter became addicted two years ago and finding a need for
resources, along with other members, they formed the society.

Last week McLaughlin gave a presentation to Grade 9 students at Mark
R. Isfeld, Highland Secondary, Cumberland Junior and Lake Trail
Secondary as well as to members of the public Thursday evening.

"Twenty-five per cent say they know someone who is meth-involved,"
said McLaughlin. "Ninety-five per cent say they will never try meth
after watching that film."

Often difficult to watch, Death by Jib shows a number of addicts
living on Vancouver's Lower East-side who all agree that the best way
to quit meth is to never try the toxic drug in the first place.

One particularly poignant moment came when Kerry Jackson replayed a
final answering machine message from her formerly attractive and
healthy 26-year-old son, Ryan. The sounds that emanated from the
machine brought to mind images of Dante's Inferno.

A few weeks later, Ryan swan-dived off the Cambie Street Bridge in
Vancouver.

Meth is made from inexpensive over the counter ingredients such as
pseudoephedrine, iodine, ammonia, acetone and furniture refinisher,
most of them contain warning like: extremely flammable, poisonous, do
not swallow and explosive when mixed improperly.

"Crystal meth generates five kilograms of toxic waste for ever
kilogram of the street drug," said McLaughlin. "That toxic waste could
be flipped over someone's back fence, maybe yours, or dumped in the
lake or lagoon or the river or the seashore or pollute the
environment."

During his presentation, McLaughlin showed a picture of the brain of a
healthy 27-year-old and compared it to that of a meth-addicted
27-year-old. The meth-addicted brain is comparable to that of an
85-year-old suffering from Altzheimer's disease, he said.

Crystal meth drives up blood pressure and raises body temperature so
that the brain is essentially being "fried."

"In Victoria we have 20-year-olds having open heart surgery," said
McLaughlin.

Patti Vermette, district youth care support worker based out of Lake
Trail, applied to bring the program to schools in the Valley and
Courtenay's Community Drug Strategy Committee agreed to provide the
funding.

Grade 9 students are ideal for receiving the program, she
said.

"The average age [of addiction] is around 13 or 14," she said. "This
is an age where a lot more experimentation goes on and if we can get
that message out early enough, hopefully the kids will make the choice
to say no to crystal meth."

The session, that ended with questions and answers and those who
participated received either a wristband or a T-shirt, will be
followed-up with classroom discussions and contests to further
students' knowledge about drugs.

The effects of crystal meth are irreversible and McLaughlin tells
people who ask about his daughter that she is holding down a job and
he doesn't believe she could do that if she were using. He is
reluctant, however, to say she has recovered.

CMBC is currently looking for volunteers in a number of positions as
well as for presenters.

For more information, call Lynday Scott-Polson or April Haussmann at
250-388-6384, or visit www.crystalmethbc.com.

EARLY SIGNS OF CRYSTAL METH USE:

- - Euphoric state - Paranoia - Decreased appetite - Increased physical
activity - Anxiety, shaking, nervousness - Incessant talking - Rapid
eye movement - Dilated pupils - Sweating not related to physical
activity - Not socializing with friends anymore - Trying to convince
others to use the drug - Selling personal items - Experiencing trouble
at school.