METH DOLLARS BATTLE THREAT

Salt Spring Community Services will be in a far better position to
combat any impending crystal meth threat thanks to $3,000 in
government funding announced last week, says its executive director
Rob Grant.

The funds represent Salt Spring's share of an $8-million province-wide
cash infusion to fight youth addiction and the spread of crystal meth
use.

Money destined for Salt Spring Island is administered via the
Vancouver Island Health Authority.

While the drug has yet to take hold on the island, Grant said, the
money is required to promote awareness and fund drug prevention programs.

"If it's not here in a big way now, I expect it is coming," Grant
said. "There is a lot going on underground," he said. "Let's not
underestimate the problem."

Isolated reports of crystal meth use and an RCMP bust last December
indicate its local use is on the rise, but Grant is cautious about
declaring an all-out epidemic.

Just because crystal meth hasn't hit the island like the nearby
communities of Chemainus and Saanich isn't an excuse to sit back and
let things be. Instead, he said, it's an opportunity to study just how
prevalent the drug has become on the island.

"Once we get an accurate idea of what the problem is, we can develop
programs to address it," Grant added.

Crystal meth is a highly addictive synthetic stimulant that can be
produced by combining several commercially available products. First
synthesized in 1919, the drug helped U.S. Air Force pilots remain
awake during bombing missions in the Second World War and is now
prescribed under the name Desoxyn to children with attention deficit
disorder.

On the street, the drug is commonly called speed, jib, crank or ice.
It is distributed as a capsule, powder, or in chunks resembling pieces
of ice. Potential side effects include sleeplessness, hyperactivity,
nausea, delusions of power and extreme anger, and longer-term users
often sustain chronic heart, liver, kidney and lung damage.

Community Services' youth and family counsellor Trish Nobile is
already planning a community forum on addiction and drug abuse
anticipated for late spring.

A public forum held two years ago, she said, proved island residents
are prepared to tackle the issue head on and the venue will help
teachers and councillors evaluate specific problems relating to
crystal meth and the larger addiction issue.

"What happens in the city is going to hit Salt Spring sooner or
later," she said. "We may not see it as a problem yet, but Salt
Spring's youth get a lot of exposure to these problems when they
travel to the city." Nobile agreed the funding was a step in the right
direction that could lead to further support down the line.

"You can only do so much," she said. "Maybe some big ideas will arise
from the forum."

According to RCMP Const. Lindsay Ellis, Salt Spring's youth are a big
reason meth rates are lower than other centres.

"Based on the information I've heard, people don't want it here," she
said. "It seems there is a will to not let it get out of control."
That being said, Ellis added, police don't believe the crystal meth
craze will simply sidestep the island.

She said the drug is proving a special challenge because it is
affordable and highly addictive.

As users become conditioned to the drug, addicts must take higher
dosages and increase their dependence.

Funds for treatment facilities in larger centres and for prevention in
areas like the Gulf Islands will undoubtedly have an impact when the
drug does make an appearance.

"Any money is welcomed," she said. "We look forward to this and being
able to provide more prevention."

While avenues to recovery may be scarce, Ellis encourages anybody in
need of help to come forward now.

"Come to us," she said. "We are not in a position to punish people who
are seeking help."

Pharmacist Anna Callegari said the British Columbia Pharmacy
Association (BCPhA) acknowledges the need to monitor the bulk sales of
chemicals required to make crystal meth.

Callegari added she has come across the occasional instance where
customers ask for "suspicious quantities" of particular products like
99 per cent alcohol or pseudoephedrine while working at the uptown
Pharmasave location, but added those cases remain the exception. "We
are aware of the problem and do watch carefully," she said. "I know
that province-wide there is a problem."

The BCPhA has already set up a Meth Watch Program in hopes of
coordinating efforts with police departments across the province.