'Watching the life drain from their eyes'

Good kids from happy homes can get addicted to crystal meth--that's a
message with a personal twist from former Richmond resident Pat Johnson.

"I'm a mom of a crystal meth addict," she said, her voice shaking, at
the provincial government's crystal meth forum at the Richmond Inn Wednesday.

"I want everyone to know addiction knows no boundaries, it could
happen in anyone's family."

Crystal meth, or methamphetamine, is an illegal, psycho-stimulant
that affects brain function by altering production of dopamine. It
can cause long-term physical and mental damage--including permanent psychosis.

While no specific numbers are available for crystal meth addiction in
Richmond, Linda Reid, MLA for Richmond East, said she initiated the
forum with Solicitor General John Les after parents came to her with
concerns about how to recognize meth use in their children.

"Those are the kinds of questions that come to me as an MLA," she added.

Addiction specialist Christa Mullaly, who works with Richmond
Addiction Services, said meth use in Richmond looks different because
the city lacks a downtown core--and detox services.

"(Addiction here) looks different, it flies under the radar. But
Richmond is not unique in the number of people using."

Forum speaker Angela Marshall, an alcohol and drug therapist for
youth, said the drug began to take a firm hold in B.C. about four years ago.

"I have learned more from clients than a text book could have
taught," Marshall told the crowd of about 40 people.

"How it's presented, the hyperactivity, the (manic) behavior, the
sores on the body. Generally it's robbed their souls of what made
them great people. It's like knowing someone from a child and
watching the life drain from their eyes."

A big problem is that most of the ingredients for making crystal meth
are readily available. The key element, pseudo-ephedrine, is legal to
possess and is found in over-the-counter cold medicines such as
Sudafed. (Minister Les said he is pressing the federal government to
make this a permit-controlled substance.)

The second ingredient, hydroioc acid, is a strictly controlled
substance but can be made from iodine crystals and red phosphorus
extracted from matchbook covers.

"Red phosphorus is very dangerous and can spontaneously combust, it
can blow up the lab and half the neighbourhood," Marshall said.
Acetone and brick scrubbers are also used in crystal meth "cooking"
or production.

"You really can get everything you need from a drug store or hardware
store or under the kitchen sink."

The concept of purity in this drug is absurd, she added. It's
synthetic and typically cut with bleach, lye, paint thinner, camping
fuel and rat poison.

"This isn't a drug--it's a poison. It's toxic; it kills people, it's
very dirty."

Crystal meth is sold as a beige or white powder, in glass-like shards
or in tablet form and can be smoked, inhaled, injected or eaten. It's
dangerously cheap: a 12-hour high can be had for as little as $10.

"It goes a long way and is cheaper than alcohol, that's one reason
for its popularity."

Parents or those with loved ones using the drug may notice burnt
spoons, tinfoil or broken light bulbs used for inhaling crystal meth.
But burning tin foil and the white paint in light bulbs releases
poisonous fumes, leading to diseases, paralysis or death.

People who snort meth may develop a hole in their nasal septum, and
those who inject often share needles--increasing their risk of HIV
transmission.

While addiction is tragic, a sad fact is that addicts get one intense
rush, one big high, then spend the rest of their addiction trying to
recapture their first experience.

The high, the intense energy, euphoria and focus meth users love
diminishes with every use while the side effects increase. These
include paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, obsessive behaviour,
depression, aggression, damage to vessels in the brain and the lining
of the heart, elevated body temperature, sexual dysfunction and
rapid, shocking tooth decay--known as "meth mouth."

Users also often get "speed bugs" or "meth mites"--an effect that
makes them think they've got bugs under their skin and will prompt
them to pick at themselves, creating infected sores. They can become
like two-year-old children, throwing tantrums when things don't go their way.

Getting off the drug is challenging as people can't see what the drug
is doing to them, Marshall said.

"When they crash, they're very sick, depressed, angry and guilty. The
user knows a very small amount will alleviate these symptoms, and it
becomes a cycle of self-defeating behavior: they use the drug to
solve the problem it creates."

Some addicts will recover, however.

It takes about a year off the drug to know if an addict will suffer
long-term damage, she said.

"It's hard to convince people to quit for good," she said. "You have
to wait a long time to see the benefits. It's very difficult and
takes great confidence."

Unfortunately, most kids who use drugs think they know what they're
taking--but they're wrong, said Terry Waterhouse, associate director
of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the
University College of the Fraser Valley.

Waterhouse led a 2003-2005 study examining crystal meth use in
secondary school students and on the 27 meth labs uncovered by B.C.
police during that period.

"Increasingly, marijuana is laced with stuff that includes crystal
meth, so that's a danger," he said.

Meth is also being sold as XTC and worse, in orange, vanilla and
grape flavoured pills called "Yaba tablets" designed to appeal to
children. Waterhouse's research concluded that most teens who use
crystal meth feel disconnected from their schools and communities.

"What we're finding is students who are more connected to school are
more successful academically and socially."

Kids who use crystal meth are seven times more likely to feel
education is unimportant and four times less likely to feel they
belong. "It's a population of extremely disconnected young people."

Pat Johnson said her son was not disconnected when he took the drug
five years ago as a youthful experiment.

But his addiction excluded him from the health care system, she said.

"(Addiction is) seen as a social issue, not a health issue. We can't
go to a doctor and be diagnosed with addiction as we can be with
asthma. We have spent thousands and thousands on our son in dealing
with his addiction--we really are in a two-tiered system. If addicts
don't have family support, they have very little hope at all."

Johnson, who is a member of From Grief to Action, a non-profit
support group for families and friends of drug users, said addiction
and treatment should be addressed in the justice system. She said she
feels fortunate her family could afford her son's treatment, and is
concerned about those who can't pay.

(The province announced a $7 million initiative in October to combat
the spread of crystal meth use and addiction. The money will fund
awareness and treatment programs, some of which are in development.)

"When you go looking for resources you first go to the internet and
there's nothing out there but private treatment," Johnson said. "But
not only do you have to do it once, but again and again because there
are relapses. That's one reason why I'm speaking out. It's very
frustrating as a parent or to have a loved one who is addicted to anything."

Today her son has been off the drug for six months and is doing well.

Angela Marshall suggested that others who suspect a loved one is
using meth practice patience, listen, set boundaries, focus on
solutions and assemble a team of family members and health care and
social work professionals to work out a plan.

"Focus on their virtues, it's so tempting to think of them as the
problem. The drug is the problem."

For more information, call Richmond Addiction Services, 604-270-9220,
or visit www.richmondaddictions.ca, www.methfacts.ca and www.fgta.ca.