METH BATTLE NEEDS FOLLOWUP

Early last month, we took our hats off and applauded Manitoba Justice
Minister Gord Mackintosh for taking a huge step to stop crystal meth
from spreading into our communities.

The NDP lawmaker made it possible for provincial investigators to
take down a suspected meth lab simply from a complaint from
neighbours that some sort of illicit activity is happening in a
nearby property. After that, the investigators would just need to
apply to a judge for the authority to close the property and evict the people.

The beauty of the enhanced law is that it's civil and relies on the
public -- who are more likely to know what's going on in their
neighbourhoods -- giving them the power to take back their areas.
Crystal meth, which has exacted a terrible financial and social cost
on so many communities around us, must be stopped from doing the same
thing to our province.

And don't think Brandon is immune from the methamphetamine nightmare.

A couple of weeks ago, crystal meth was found in a Brandon high
school for the second time in four months.

A sniffer dog found meth and marijuana when the Brandon School
Division did a spot-check at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School.
Assistant superintendent Doug Milak said he was disappointed in the
findings, but vowed to keep up random searches to drive illegal drugs
from city schools.

"Hopefully, there certainly will be a deterrent in terms of
searches," Milak said. "This will be an ongoing process, there's no
question of that."

Milak said it's tough to tell whether the second drug discovery this
school year is a sign kids aren't getting the message, but it's
definitely a sign drugs are easy to get in Brandon.

"We know it's out there, we know it's available," he said.

Manufactured in illegal laboratories -- often one's kitchen --
crystal meth is a deadly chemical cocktail. Its ingredients include
drain cleaner and battery acid. The highly addictive drug creates a
feeling of euphoria but can cause psychosis and depression and make
users violent. It can also cause a heart attack or stroke.

Last month's search was the second since the division introduced its
search and seizure policy in July.

Crystal meth and marijuana were found at two other Brandon high
schools during the first check on Nov. 23.

A small bag of crystal methamphetamine was discovered in a boys'
bathroom at Neelin high school, while a small quantity of pot was
found in a girls' change room at Vincent Massey high school. No drugs
were found at Crocus Plains that time.

"We're very serious about keeping the schools free of alcohol and
drugs," Milak said. "This is going to be something that we will
continue to be very vigilant on."

However, while there appears to be plenty of action on the
enforcement side of the problem, the province doesn't seem to have a
firm grip on how to treat the increasing number of addicts.

In its recent budget speech, the Doer government promised to table a
bill that would let parents of drug-addicted teens force their
children into detox facilities for a few days. The proposed law will
be similar to ones recently put forward in Alberta and Saskatchewan
and was prompted primarily by the growing use of crystal meth.

But the province seems to have forgotten to make sure there would be
enough beds for the addicts to recover in.

As reported on CBC Radio One yesterday, the wait for treatment -- or
even assessment -- can sometimes stretch for months.

Reporters called 10 government-funded treatment programs to ask about
the wait. Eight had waiting lists; at the other two, no one answered the phone.

That silence is not what an addict -- or the addict's anxious
caregiver -- needs to hear in their time of need.