CRYSTAL METH: A LOOMING THREAT

Crystal meth is coming to a town near you.

In fact, indications are it has already arrived.

Lee Mason recently presented a workshop designed to bring the brutal
truth about crystal methamphetamine to students and resource workers
in an effort to stop the use of this deadly drug before it grips the
community.

Mason, of the Young Warriors Network, received a grant from Union of
B.C. Municipalities to bring this message to 20 northern
communities.

With the aid of a very graphic video, which chronicles the effects of
the drug on several young people, an array of potentially deadly
household chemicals that are used in the production of crystal meth,
and a message of hope, self-esteem and value, Mason sat comfortably in
front of a circle of teenagers.

He said his decision to reach out to young people came to him during
an AA meeting.

"I thought it would be good for me to do this.

"We have to educate the kids before they get mixed up with these
drugs. The whole community needs to get educated."

The video has a powerful message that is reinforced by the information
Mason presents.

"This drug is so cheap, $150 worth of ingredients makes $10,000 worth
of product.

"A $10 point can get a user high for about eight hours."

Street nurse Cathy Wrath attended the second day which targeted
resource professionals.

Although she isn't seeing a lot of crystal meth users on the streets
of Quesnel, Wrath said when people really get into crystal meth, they
often leave town.

"It begins here but then they leave. We can be quite smug because we
don't have a problem, but often it starts here and then they are lured
out of town."

Wrath agrees with Cst. Gord Gill who says crack cocaine is a problem
in the community.

"We are seeing it on an occasional basis," Gill said.

"Our policing priorities are to disrupt and dismantle the use and
distribution of cocaine and crystal methamphetimine within the
detachment area."

He added crystal meth was introduced in Quesnel about three years
ago.

"We were able to dismantle the use and distribution of crystal meth
right away.

"Our eyes and ears are to the ground identifying any potential labs,
but we haven't found any."

Mason left a copy of the video at the Friendship Centre and encourages
schools and community groups to show it.

School board chair Caroline Nielson said they were always looking for
new programs or new strategies to immunize the students against drug
use.

However, she added, they are careful about language and
age-appropriate material.

"What's age-appropriate here is different from what is age-appropriate
on the coast."

QSS student Brianna Wilkinson said viewing the video changed how she
thought about crystal meth.

"More kids my age at my school should watch it."

The provincial government has devised a crystal-meth strategy that has
funding for treatment options and youth addictions services. It
includes increasing bed capacity for youth with addictions and
building treatment programs and supports for crystal-meth users.

Northern Health is slated to receive $426,662 which will create an
additional 10.6 youth case managers, one youth outreach and early
intervention professional and 1.2 full-time equivalents dedicated for
assessment and treatment for crystal-meth users. These positions will
service the northeast, northwest, and northern Interior Health service
delivery areas.

Bal Sekhon, co-principal of McNaughton Centre, said his biggest
concern is having awareness for his staff so they can identify users.
They want to equip their staff and youth-care workers to know what
they are looking for.

"Guest speakers come in on a regular basis to talk about drug use,
including crystal meth.

"Having the real people come in off the street is a real eye-opener.
People think pot is a big problem, but we think crystal meth is up and
coming. We don't want our kids on that."

Time-after-time, Wrath said, the kids they talk to who are getting
into extreme use have big problems that haven't been recognized or
dealt with.

"We need to get to the core of why people are using."