CRYSTAL METH: EASY TO GET ON, HARD TO GET OFF

Cst. Christine Anderson Doesn't Mince Words When It Comes To Crystal Meth.

"Once you try it, you're hooked.

"It's a mean drug."

What's even worse, from the Vanderhoof RCMP member's point of view,
is how easy it is to get the drug.

"You just have to go on the Internet to get the recipe. Everything
you need, you can find at the hardware store."

Crystal meth and crack cocaine are two drugs which are rearing their
heads in Vanderhoof, but so far at different levels.

"I specifically know crack is being cooked in Vanderhoof," Anderson
says, "used and sold.

"I don't know if there is crystal meth production here yet."

Even if there isn't, it isn't hard for users here to get the drug.

"We're on a major highway. There's the potential for a lot of stuff
moving between Prince George and Prince Rupert."

The news isn't all bad, though, on the drug front for the local RCMP.
They're learning more and the public is getting more involved.

"More people know about the problem," Anderson says. "We're getting
more Crime Stopper tips, which is really the only way we're going to
get information.

"We're not going to get them from the buyers and users. They're too
busy buying and using."

Anderson and other members of the local detachment are also using the
DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program to get the word out in
local schools.

"The kids talk to their parents about the program. If they see
something suspicious, they know they can call the tip line."

The program also teaches the students what classifies as suspicious activity.

"If there's a house in the neighbourhood where there's a lot of
traffic, but no one seems to stay for more than a couple of minutes,"
she says, "that's suspicious. It might not be a drug house, but it
doesn't hurt to call us to check it out."

Anderson is looking forward to a May 2 public information session on
crystal meth and crack in Vanderhoof. She's already attended a couple
of similar sessions in the region.

"One I went to in Prince George was more the politicians talking
about what kind of money they were putting into the fight. In Burns
Lake, they had a public session, but they also had a session for
ambulance personnel and other first responders.

"They told them, 'If you walk into something that looks like a drug
lab, turn around and walk out.'"

She's seen and heard about the effects of the drug.

"You don't feel pain when you're on crystal meth. Your arms start
itching, and you'll scratch right through the skin to try to stop the
itch. One of the women at the Prince George session told me of an
11-year-old girl she had talked to. She started doing crystal meth
because it took away her hunger pains."

Anderson says some teenage girls try crystal meth as an appetite
suppressant to lose weight, then find out they're hooked.

"I have a kit I take to the schools with me to show the kids what
they're going to look like if they keep using meth. One of the
telltale signs is burns on the lips. If you see that, you start
looking for other signs, like sores on the arms and a gaunt look to the face."

The dealers are finding other ways to get users hooked, as well.

"They're mixing it into marijuana, putting it in the end of marijuana
cigarettes. One girl in Vancouver died because she thought she was
doing ecstasy."