BRACING FOR METH MADNESS

WHEN a fierce storm approaches, common sense tells you to gather up
the patio furniture or other loose objects so they don't become
projectiles. The same follows for social plagues.

The crystal meth epidemic sweeping in from the west has yet to hit
here with full force, but we are wise to brace for it. Among the
sundry items being stored away behind the counter at pharmacies are
common allergy and cold remedies containing pure pseudoephedrine or
ephedrine such as Sudafed Decongestant or Contac Cold 12-hour. As for
grocery stores without pharmacies, corner stores and gas stations,
they don't carry those products anymore. (Other medications with
trace amounts of ephedrine like Tylenol Cold will remain more easily
accessible for now.)

It's a timely move, prescribed by the National Association of
Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities, which oversees the availability of
prescription and non-prescription medications.

Some provinces have already passed legislation clamping down on the
distribution of such drugs, which goes to show how seriously they
take the problem. In Nova Scotia, the NDP plans to table a bill to
that effect during the spring session. Not only that, it wants
agricultural producers to be forced to report missing stocks of a
fertilizer known as anhydrous ammonia.

The latter, along with ephedrine, is a key ingredient in crystal
meth, a nasty, instantly addictive chemical cocktail. It's not just
"crank" that is dangerous; so are the volatile make-shift labs it's
produced in. In dismantling such labs, police often go about it
gingerly - with protective suits and decontamination procedures.

"Because this waste is so toxic, I think there's only one place in
Canada it can be disposed of . in Alberta," Cpl. Gord Vail, who heads
a newly formed RCMP team dedicated to stopping the synthetic drug
trade in the Atlantic provinces, recently told this newspaper.

That alone should be enough to scare off potential users. Not to
mention "meth mouth" - the horribly rotted teeth which addicts are
often left with. And yet the market keeps growing for the concoction,
which is often refined with hazardous hardware store products.

If any drug has "skull and crossbones" written all over it, it's
crystal meth - which is why Ottawa last year placed it on par with
cocaine and heroin by hiking the maximum penalty to life in prison
for making and selling the stimulant.

In comparison, pulling decongestants from the shelves might seem like
a trivial response. Yet it is often the simplest precautions that are
the most effective. Like battening down the hatches.